Letters between M.R. Smith and Governor Ibra C. Blackwood, March 1933
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This letter from Mr. M.R. Smith of Conway, SC to Governor Blackwood on March 11, 1933, was written asking the governor if he knows of any work Mr. Smith can have that would make at least $100/week because he needs to support his family. Mr. Smith was a banker who lost his job as a result of the Depression and also had worked as a railroad agent and operator. The letter opens congratulating the Governor on his work with President Roosevelt and the Emergency Banking Legislation, and it ends with a reminder of how Mr. Smith had always supported Gov. Blackwood since he first began the race for governor and will continue to support him. As a postscript he writes that he can get endorsements from senators.
The reply comes from the Secretary of the Governor and says that the Governor is very busy with banking and legislative matters but Mr. Smith’s letter will be referred to him.Citation:
Smith, M.R. to Governor Ibra C. Blackwood, 11 March 1933. Governor Blackwood Papers, Alphabetical Correspondence 1931-1933. S539020 Box 6: 1933 A-Y. South Carolina Department of History and Archives, Columbia, South Carolina.
Secretary to the Governor to M.R. Smith, 22 March 1933. Governor Blackwood Papers, Alphabetical Correspondence 1931-1933. S539020 Box 6: 1933 A-Y. South Carolina Department of History and Archives, Columbia, South Carolina.
Correlating SC Social Studies Academic Standards:
Standard 3-5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the major developments in South Carolina in the late nineteenth century and the twentieth century.
Indicator 3-5.5 Explain the effects of the Great Depression and the New Deal on daily life in South Carolina, including the widespread poverty and unemployment and the role of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Standard 5-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the economic boom-and-bust in America in the 1920s and 1930s, its resultant political instability, and the subsequent worldwide response
Indicator 5-4.2 Summarize the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, including economic weakness, unemployment, failed banks and businesses, and migration from rural areas.
Standard 8-6: The student will demonstrate an understanding of South Carolina’s development during the early twentieth century.
Indicator 8-6.5 Explain the effects of the Great Depression and the lasting impact of New Deal programs on South Carolina, including the Rural Electrification Act, the Civilian Conservation Corps, Works Progress Administration and Public Works Administration building projects, the Social Security Act, and the Santee Cooper electricity project.
Standard USHC-7: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the economic boom-and-bust in America in the 1920s and 1930s, its resultant political instability, and the subsequent worldwide response.
Indicator USHC-7.4 Explain the causes and effects of the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, including the disparity in incomes, limited government regulation, stock market speculation, and the collapse of the farm economy; wealth distribution, investment, and taxes; government policies and the Federal Reserve System; and the effects of the Depression on human beings and the environment.