Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Summer/105/Section 06/Annie Allen

Overview

Annie Allen was born in Morehead City, North Carolina, and she was interviewed by the Federal Writers Project in 1939.

Biography

Personal Life

Annie Allen was born in Morehead City, North Carolina at an unknown date early in the 1900’s. Allen’s father was a fish factory worker and part time boatsman at the dock. Allen later married and the couple had ten children in all: 5 girls and 5 boys. Mr. Allen was a carpenter and provided for the family.

The Great Depression

In 1924, Allen became ill with tuberculosis. The building market was on an increase, so the Allen family decided to move to Miami, Florida. Shortly after they arrived. The beginnings of the market crash caused Mr. Allen to turn to alcohol, which led to him losing his business. Mr. Allen stayed at home with the children for a while, until he left the family and asked for a divorce two years later.

Work

During the Great Depression, Allen took a job doing different tasks through the Works Progress Administration under Roosevelt. She first earned a diploma in Nursing before going to work in a sewing room. Shortly after beginning in the sewing room, a machine malfunction caused an injury to her eye, forcing her to quit her job. After this she worked at home, learning to cook and execute home improvement projects.

Later Life

Allen’s oldest married and moved out of the house shortly after she quit her job. Around the same time, her youngest daughter was married had a baby, and Allen spent many of her days taking care of the child. Her daughter’s husband became abusive after she found out she was pregnant with a second child, and he tried to force her to have an abortion. This was unsuccessful, and the daughter left to live with Allen. Allen took over the deed for the land and home after her divorce, and she spent her days there. Allen died at an unknown date.

Social Issues

Works Progress Administration Sewing-Room Projects

Under President Roosevelt, the sewing-room projects of the Works Progress Administration were established on November 1, 1935 to provide work for women suffering during the depression. These programs quickly became the largest employer of women during the time. The women in these rooms were making clothing, work garments, and furniture pieces to be used by the impoverished citizens. The federal government paid salaries to the sewing-room workers and contributed a portion of costs for the supplies needed to make the product. These rooms remained the most popular form of women’s relief throughout the WPA history because of its flexibility of practice, operating year-round, and the ease of skill. This organization made momentous efforts during the depression to create work for all people, especially for those that did not work before the stock market crash.

Women in Costilla, New Mexico, weaving rag rugs in 1939

Abortion in the 1930’s

During the time of the great depression, the birthrate was steadily decreasing. In such an economic drought, the cost of having and raising a child was too much for many families to bear, yet many did not have access to contraceptive options. This led to an increase in abortions using pills or medical procedures. Sauer states in 1936 “the national ratio of abortions to births was 1:3”. At this point in time, abortion was legal in some states on a medical opinion basis to protect the mother, but this was not preventing others from performing the act illegally. In 1930, abortion was the official cause of death for nearly 2,700 women.

Alcoholism during the Depression

In the years before the Great Depression, the mass use and spread of alcohol was banned during a prohibition period. The crime rates in cities were often linked with incidents related to alcohol, and it was soon made nearly impossible to handle. To get their hands on any type of alcohol, people had to travel to secret bars called Speakeasys to buy and consume alcohol illegally. However, during the depression, prohibition was revoked in hopes of generating revenue for people rushing to purchase alcohol.

Americans celebrated the end of Prohibition in 1933

Combining this with economic turmoil led to many abusers of the drink. Alcohol and Alcoholism reports that “shifting priorities” caused the reinduction of alcohol into societies to “create jobs”.

References

Burnell, Elvira. “Anna Alden” in the Federal Writers’ Project Papers #03709, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Carmon, Irin. “A Brief History of Abortion Law in America.” Last modified November 14, 2017. https://billmoyers.com/story/history-of-abortion-law-america/.

Man, Karl., Hermann, Derik., Heinz, Andreas. “One Hundred Years of Alcoholism: The Twentieth Century.” Alcohol and Alcoholism 35, no. 1 (2000): 10-15, https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/35.1.10.

Marcketti, Sara B. “The Sewing Room Projects of the Works Progress Administration.” Textile History 41, no. 1 (2010): 28-49, doi: 10.1179/174329510x12670196126566.

Sauer, R. “Attitudes to Abortion in America, 1800-1973.” Population Studies 28, no. 1 (1974): 53-67, doi: 10.1080/00324728.1974.10404578.

Zagorsky, Jay L. “Prohibition changed alcohol consumption rates. Here’s how.” Last modified January 15, 2020. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/01/15/prohibition-changed-alcohol-consumption-rates.html.