Who was most hurt by georgia governor eugene talmadges opposition to the new deal?

Initially, Georgians were rather indifferent to the events of World War I. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the sinking of the Lusitania, and the interception of the Zimmerman Telegram caused little concern for many Georgians. However, when the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, war sentiment shifted to one of panic and suspicion. Georgia provided more military training camps for the war effort than any other state. 

After the war, Americans celebrated the victory throughout the nation. In this era, known as the “Roaring 20s” many Americans listened to jazz, danced the Charleston, and invested and hit it big in the stock market. However, these good times were not happening for most Georgians. Primarily a rural state, Georgia, was suffering though one of the worst droughts in its history. Additionally, a tiny insect called the boll weevil was devastating Georgia’s most important crop: cotton.

While Georgia was suffering through a “mini-depression” during the 1920s, after the stock market crash of 1929, America’s Great Depression hit the nation with devastating outcomes throughout the next decade. Georgia, already suffering from the effects of the drought and boll weevil, experienced more hard times during the Great Depression. In 1933, part-time Georgia resident Franklin Roosevelt became president. President Roosevelt and his “brain trust” developed several “New Deal” programs that directly affected Georgia. However, Georgia’s governor, Eugene Talmadge, was against the interference of the federal government in state policies and fought against the New Deal programs. Interestingly, both Roosevelt and Talmadge, though on opposite ends of the political spectrum, were popular among Georgians and the voters of the state helped elect them in their respective positions for four terms. 

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Georgia made several contributions to the U.S. war effort during World War I. The state supported five major federal military installations as the United States entered the war in 1917. Fort McPherson (south of Atlanta), Fort Oglethorpe (near the Tennessee border), Fort Screven (Tybee Island), the Arsenal at Augusta and Camp Hancock (Augusta) provided the US military necessary training and supplies. 

Georgia provided more military training camps than any other states. These camps included Fort McPherson, Camp Gordon, Camp Benning, and Camp Stewart. In addition, over 100,000 Georgians took part in the war effort, and over 3000 soldiers died in the fight in Europe. In turn, many of Georgia’s non-combatants bought war bonds and grew “victory gardens” to help supply the troops.

Georgia training camps were impacted by the Spanish Influenza epidemic. The camps quarantined the sick in an effort to keep the flu from spreading to surrounding communities. Unlike other east coast states, Georgia escaped the enormous numbers of people who were impacted by the flu.

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Georgia experienced an agricultural economic downturn in the years prior to the Great Depression. The invasion of the boll weevil and serious droughts caused farmers to be launched into serious loss of income and the need to examine agricultural practices.

The boll weevil is an insect whose larva feeds on the cotton plant. While the pest is thought to have originated in Central America, by the 1890s it had made its way into Mexico and then into Texas. By 1915 it had migrated to Georgia and drastically reduced the state’s cotton crop. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, due to the destruction caused by the boll weevil, Georgia cotton farmers went from producing “5.2 million acres of cotton in 1914 to 2.6 million acres in 1923.”

The boll weevil had a huge impact on Georgia’s economy and rural population. Due to the loss of cotton acreage, along with the recruitment of northern companies, millions of African-Americans or Blacks moved to northern cities. In addition, many sharecroppers and tenant farmers, both Black and white left the farms and moved to Georgia cities such as Atlanta and Macon or migrated into northern cities in search of employment. 

Additionally, the destruction of the cotton crop forced Georgians to diversify their economy. Cotton ceased to be Georgia’s primary agricultural product. In fact, by 1983, Georgia only produced 115,000 acres of cotton. Also, with the population movement into the cities, Georgia’s manufacturing continued to develop, though slowed greatly by the Great Depression.  

Note: By 1987, Georgia farmers were developing successful strategies to eradicate the boll weevil. In 2000, Georgia farmers harvested over 1 million acres of cotton. 

In addition to the damage caused by the boll weevil, Georgia farmers suffered through another natural disaster in the 1920’s and 1930’s: drought. The worst droughts in Georgia history were from 1924-1927 and 1930- 1935. These droughts severely impacted Georgia farmers’ ability to produce agricultural products. With the damage caused by the boll weevil and the droughts, Georgia began to suffer from a depression long before the rest of the United States.

Though, Georgia, a predominantly rural state, was already suffering from a depression due to the boll weevil and drought, the economic boom experienced by the rest of the United States ended with the Stock Market Crash of 1929. In this downturn, stock-holders lost over 40 billion dollars, and businesses were never able to recover from these losses throughout the 1930’s. However, a series of other factors led to the continuation of a world-wide depression for almost a decade. 

Some of the other economic factors that led to the Great Depression were:

• Bank Failures: During the 1920’s and 1930’s, there was no insurance protecting deposits. If enough of the banks customers tried to withdraw their money, the bank would eventually run out. This was called a bank failure. After the stock market crash, this actually happened and many banks failed in the early 1930’s. In turn many people lost their life savings. Those banks that managed to stay in business were hesitant about making loans, thus slowing down the purchasing power of big business and the individual buyer.
• Reduction in Purchasing: In what became a vicious cycle, after the stock market crash, and due to other economic fears, the average consumer stopped purchasing goods. When people stopped buying products, companies in turn lowered their production rates. With lower production rates, many consumers lost their jobs and had no money to spend. With an unemployment rate of 25%, this further lessened the purchasing power of the average consumer.
• Overproduction of Agriculture Products: Before the major droughts that hit the Midwest causing the Dust Bowl, many farmers over-produced. In the 1920’s Midwestern farmers produced record numbers of agricultural products. However, this over-production led to a tremendous drop in the price of agricultural products and dramatically limited the profit margins of farmers. During a period of time where millions were starving, farmers destroyed much needed food or stopped growing crops all together in order attempt to raise the price of agricultural products. A major drought hit the Midwest in the 1930’s driving thousands of farmers from their homes and added to the millions of Americans already out of work. 

In his gubernatorial election campaigns of the 1930’s Eugene Talmadge, wearing red galluses (suspenders) and rounded glasses, promised Georgia’s rural voters that they had three friends in the world “the Sears Roebuck Company, God almighty, and Eugene Herman Talmadge of Sugar Hill, Georgia.” Though extremely popular in Georgia, historians debate whether his policies as governor did more harm than good for a state ravaged by the Depression. 

Eugene Talmadge - In 1920 and 1922, he unsuccessfully campaigned for the Georgia General Assembly. However, in 1926, he won his first election as Commissioner of Agriculture, a position he held until 1930. In his role as the Agriculture Commissioner, he was able to cement his standing with rural Georgia voters by presenting himself as an advocate for the farmer and common man in the Department of Agriculture’s widely read newspaper, the Market Bulletin. Though involved in a political scandal concerning the misappropriation of funds in the early 1930s, he ran for the office of governor in 1932. Due to his rural support and the power of the county unit system, he was elected in 1932 and again in 1934. 

Talmadge also made decisions that hurt the state. He fought against Roosevelt’s New Deal policies, especially those that aided African-Americans or Blacks. As Georgia’s governor, Talmadge’s lack of cooperation in the implementation of the New Deal programs reflected his opposition of increased federal spending and economic regulation by the federal government. He did not support federal relief programs, especially those that paid African American or Black employees as much as whites. His continued attacks on Roosevelt’s programs polarized Georgia in the 1936 Democratic primary. Though Talmadge was not able to run for re-election to the governorship in that election, he threw his support behind the candidate that would ultimately lose to supporters of the New Deal. In that election, Talmadge’s attempt to unseat Richard Russell, Jr. for the U.S. Senate allowed Russell, a strong New Deal supporter, to retain his seat in the Senate. Talmadge would again run for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1938, this time against Walter F. George, a Republican who was seeking to move away from the New Deal reform programs. Again, Talmadge would see defeat, indicating that Georgia was becoming more conservative and moving away from New Deal programs. 

Due to a Georgia Constitutional Amendment barring Talmadge from being reelected in 1936, he made two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate. However, in 1940, he was reelected and made a decision that greatly damaged the state’s university system. His success in forcing the University System Board of Regents to remove two faculty members of the University of Georgia for “undermining the state’s racial status quo” (supporting integration) led to the Southern Association of College and Schools to remove the state’s accreditation of all white colleges. This led to Talmadge’s defeat in the next gubernatorial election. Talmadge was down but not out. In the 1946 election, rural Georgians helped to reelect Talmadge, who was running on a segregationist platform, for a fourth term. However, Talmadge died before taking office. After Talmadge’s death, the Georgia General Assembly selected his son Herman as governor, though he had not run for governor in the election. This became known as the Three Governors Controversy.  

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New Yorker Franklin D. Roosevelt’s devotion to Georgia began in 1913 when he travelled to Brunswick, Georgia to conduct business for the U.S. Navy. Eight years later, he contracted poliomyelitis (polio) at the family vacation home at Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada. In 1924, Roosevelt learned of the potential curative qualities of the waters at Warm Springs, Georgia. Seeking treatment for his polio condition, Roosevelt began a years-long relationship with the small community of Warm Springs and with the state of Georgia. As he moved toward his re-entry into New York politics and, in 1932, the presidential election, Georgians enthusiastically supported their adopted son.

As a result of his time spent in rural Georgia, he witnessed first-hand the poverty that enveloped the state during the late 1920s and early 1930s. As president, he created several New Deal programs, including the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and the Rural Electrification Administration, which was clearly impacted by his association with rural Georgia. He also delved into state politics in Georgia, causing some polarization that would cost him votes in his 1940 and 1944 re-election attempts. Georgians gave him their votes, however, indicating an overall positive response to Roosevelt. With the years of war wearing on his health, Roosevelt was absent from the waters of Warm Springs, as he attended to the details of war. During his fourth term, Roosevelt died at his Warm Springs home from a stroke. As his body was removed from his home, Georgians were “plunged into gloom by the death of its literal patron saint.” 

Roosevelt’s inspiration to fellow “polios” allowed the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation to be established in 1927. This facility, known today as the Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation Center, continues to provide care for those suffering from lingering effects of polio, stroke victims, spinal cord injuries and a great variety of disabilities. 

Roosevelt’s home at Warm Springs, the Little White House, is maintained by the Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. This is the only home that Roosevelt ever built for himself. 

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Though Georgia voters supported Governor Eugene Talmadge, a critic of the New Deal, in several elections, Georgians also overwhelmingly supported President Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal programs throughout the Great Depression. The New Deal Programs provided aid and support to many poor Georgians. Though these programs did not end the Great Depression, they helped many poor Georgians cope during the difficult economic times. 

These New Deal Programs significantly impacted Georgia during the Great Depression:

• The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) 1933-1942 One of the New Deal programs that had a major impact on the state was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The purpose of the program was to hire unemployed young men to work on public service projects. Some of these projects included erosion control, flood prevention, and public parks. Men who volunteered for this service signed six month contracts and were provided room and board. In addition, they also received $30 a month, $25 of which had to be sent back to their families. Of all of the New Deal programs, this was probably the most successful and popular. Over the nine years it was in existence, over 3 million young men worked in the program and planted millions of trees throughout the country. However, once the U.S. entered World War II, these men changed out of their CCC uniforms and into military ones. In 1942, the CCC was disbanded. In Georgia, the CCC had a lasting impact. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, over “78,000 Georgians were employed by the CCC” and these men planted over 22 million trees and built or improved several state parks. These parks are still used today, including historic battle fields such as Chickamauga and Kennesaw Mountain, and “forest parks” such as A.H. Stephens and Hard Labor Creek. Segregation was incorporated in these federal groups. For example, an all-black CCC unit helped to develop the infrastructure of the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge. 
• Rural Electrification Administration (REA) 1936 It is often said that while Roosevelt was staying at his home “the Little White House” in Warm Springs, GA, he was shocked at the cost of his electric bill. According to the story, Roosevelt claimed that he paid less at his large home in New York than he did for his small home in Georgia. Whether this story is true or not, Roosevelt had an interest in bringing electricity to all parts of the country. In 1935 the Rural Electrification Administration was established by presidential Executive Order 7037 to do just that. Though many members of Congress and state governors, such as Georgia’s Eugene Talmadge, fought against this program, fearing it would lead to socialism, many farmers benefited from it. The Rural Electrification Act was passed by Congress in 1936. According to the New Deal Network, by 1939 there was a 25% increase in the number of rural households that had electricity, and for a reasonable price. If they could afford it, many farmers bought appliances that used electricity which helped stimulate the economy. Since Georgia was a rural state during this time period, many Georgians also benefited from the program. 
• The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) 1933 One of the New Deal programs to have a lasting effect on Georgia was the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). The basic premise of the AAA was that, since so many farmers continued to grow crops such as cotton and tobacco during the Depression which drove the prices of these products down, the federal government offered to pay farmers not to grow those crops. This caused the price of agriculture products to rise which helped famers make more money and eliminate surplus production. Yet, in many cases, this policy did more harm than good for sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Though the government told the landowner that the payments should be distributed to those who lived on and worked the land, many landowners simply kept the money for themselves. The government could not enforce this rule and, as a result, many of the people who needed this aid never received it. Often, since the sharecropper or tenant farmer could not work the land, they were simply removed. This was one of the factors that led to urbanization and the end of sharecropping and tenant farming in the state. 
• Social Security Administration (SSA) 1935 
  Another program that had a lasting effect on Georgia was the Social Security Administration (SSA). Until 1935, those who were too old or unable to work were dependent on the charity of others. The Social Security Administration offers benefits for those over 65, those who are disabled, or those who are the survivors of a beneficiary who has died. This program is one of the longest running of the New Deal, and today most Georgians are connected to the SSA either through paying social security taxes or receiving social security benefits.