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Activity Two: The Debate on African-Americans in the CCC

For homework: Print out and read the four documents that follow. For each, highlight or underline evidence that helps answer the questions found below.

What problem faced by black CCC workers does the document describe?
What solutions to this problem does the federal government offer?
Why do you think the federal government offered the solution that it did?
What do the problem and the solution tell you about the attitude of the federal government towards black CCC workers?
What do the problem and the solution tell you about the attitude of the federal government towards racial discrimination?
When all the documents are taken together, what do they tell you about the New Deal government's attitude toward black CCC workers and racial discrimination in general?

In class: Discuss the four documents from your homework with your classmates as instructed by your teacher. During discussion, pay particular attention to the questions found below.

To what extent can the federal government as a whole be held responsible for the behavior and attitudes of locally hired government officials?
How should a federal policy be implemented when federal officials differ in their understanding of that policy?
Do you think that some blacks employed by the CCC preferred to work in segregated units?

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African-Americans and the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps

Activity Two: The Debate on African-Americans in the CCC