For many years, European slave ships plowed
the Atlantic Ocean between West Africa and
North America, delivering shiploads of slaves.
But in 1792, things began to change. Denmark
abolished its slave trade, and fifteen years later,
Britain did the same. Soon, other European
nations followed suit. But the United States
continued the practice. It is estimated that in
1860, more than four million slaves lived in the
United States, the majority in the southern
states. In states such as South Carolina and
Mississippi, the ratio of free people to slaves
was almost equal. In Alabama, Florida, and
Georgia, slaves represented more than 30 per-
cent of the population. The South, in particu-
lar, was dependent on the slave trade to keep its
agricultural economy thriving. Slavery was a
fundamental cause of the Civil War (1861–65).
Southerners did not want officials in the North
dictating whether or not they could own slaves,
and they were willing to secede, or separate
from the Union, rather than allow this. Ulti-
mately, the South lost the war, and slavery was
officially abolished on December 18, 1865, with
the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.
Federal Writers’ Project
During the Great Depression, which caused eco-
nomic chaos for many people in the 1930s, the
U.S. government, under the leadership of Presi-
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt, created jobs to help
stimulate the economy, as part of a broad recov-
ery program called the New Deal. One of the
New Deal arts programs was devoted to writers
and was called the Federal Writers’ Project. This
project was established in 1935 and involved
having writers collect stories from people from
all walks of life, stories that might have other-
wise been lost because they were not written
down. Some writers also were commissioned to
create fictional stories for children. In addition,
the American Guide Series, a collection of books
about the history of each state and about major
towns and cities, with detailed descriptions, was
produced by writers in this federal program.
Over six thousand people were employed
through the Federal Writers’ Project, including
writers, editors, historians, and critics. A major-
ity of these participants were women, but only a
few African Americans were included. After the
depression ended, many of the writers went onCOMPARE
&
CONTRAST 1860s:The United States is involved in the
Civil War, primarily over slavery.
1940s:The southern United States is gov-
erned by Jim Crow laws, which ban African
Americans from entering certain public pla-
ces, such as restaurants, and from sitting at
the front of city buses.
Today:Despite some remaining prejudice in
the country, the people of the United States
elect Barack Obama, its first black president,
by a substantial margin in 2008.
1860s:Only a few African Americans are edu-
cated in the public-school system.
1940s:African Americans are educated, but
public schools are segregated.Today:Laws enforce school integration, but
since many neighborhoods remain socioeco-
nomically segregated, some schools, espe-
cially in large metropolitan areas, still lack
racial diversity.
1860s:Before the Civil War, southern slaves
provide cheap labor in the fields and are a
key component of the southern agricultural
economy.
1940s:As in the early part of the century,
southern blacks, who face discrimination and
threats to their lives, migrate to the North in
large numbers in hopes of finding jobs.
Today:Large numbers of African Ameri-
cans are returning to the South in search of
their roots, good jobs, and education.Lineage