Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2022/Fall/Section093/L. J. Fulham

Overview

L. J. Fulham was interviewed in Huntersville, North Carolina in 1939, by Mary Wilson.

Biography

Early Life

L. J. Fulham, a walnut and persimmon tree farmer from Huntersville, North Carolina was born into a poor white family, where he did not have an easy childhood. During the years he was in school he received beatings from his teacher and bullying from an older boy. In Fulham's family hard work was valued over education. Fulham’s father found it more important that he be making money for the family than gaining an education, in turn pulling him out of school at a young age. Following the premature death of his father, Fulham and his eldest brother had to take responsibility of the family and the farm, for their mother and the six other children could survive.

Walnut tree in a garden

American persimmon tree bearing fruit in the fall

Later Life

Later, in life Fulham married, and had a lovely family, but was simply a farmer still working for a richer man. He and his wife had two lovely children, Ruby, and Oscar.   His daughter Ruby had a baby girl before she was married and did not want to keep it; therefore, Fulham and his wife took the baby in.  Ruby married another man later, and begun her family with him, leaving her parents and her first daughter behind. Which resulted in Fulham living with two other adults and one child in a one-bedroom shack. Oscar was tired of working on the farm instead he only came home to sleep and was gone during the day living a separate life. Oscar rarely helped his father with anything that needed done on the farm. Fulham and his family were living paycheck to paycheck, as they were majorly dependent on the merchants and Welfare checks. One bad crop season for a persimmon and walnut tree farmer is detrimental to the well-being of this family, if they were unable to sell their crops, they are unable to provide and potentially survive. Fulham experienced great amounts of economic struggles and could not afford even clothes for him and his wife to wear. Economic struggle culminates into political struggle in the Fulham story though, as once Republicans, they feel they are no longer being represented.  Later they felt the New Deal and the Democratic party better suited their needs as poor farmers and the working class of America.  Yet he still lived as a man who was constantly working for other men.

Social Context

Economic Strife and Familial Changes

During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries many families, especially those in the south, were experiencing financial hardships. Many families had to make crucial changes to the way in which their families operated, children had to stop going to school and go to work, mothers went out and got jobs.  This time of economic downturn brought great amounts of negativity to families, as children were now stripped of their childhoods, they now felt the economic stress that their parents were experiencing.This stress came as children were attempting to prematurely support their families, rather than be children. Families had to decide what was important to them, their child's education, or finical stability. In most cases in the south during the Great Depression families had to choose finical stability and children were forced into dangerous jobs. In some instances, male children were taking responsibility as the father role as their fathers either passed away or left to find a better paying job. This newfound role in the family as well as financial responsibility was difficult for most children of the Great Depression. Many children were unable to return to school, and many of them remained in similar economic situations to those they grew up in. This created issues for these children’s families later in history and created a viscous cycle of economic issues culminating in familial issues.

The Educational Gap on the Farm

During the Great Depression, the increasing lack of education for children especially in rural areas was concerning.  Most families were going through financial hardships, and mothers and fathers were no longer solely able to provide for their children. Children were forced, often by their parents, to drop out of school prematurely and get a job to contribute to their family’s financial wellbeing. Yet many believed that improving and furthering your education was vital in developing rural communities.  Being able to use furthered education levels would allow for economic, political, and social expansion within rural communities, yet many simply did not have the opportunity to gain that education. The widening gap found in the education for children in rural areas compared to those in urban areas became apparent during the Great Depression, "very low educational attainment, and high levels of economic distress. All are major obstacles to the educational progress of local youth and local developmental efforts.” These rural areas saw the negative effects of children not going to school, as they were not able to gain a further education the financial returns of rural areas were subpar, when compared to urban areas. Those with a lesser education during this time were at an extreme disadvantage when it came to jobs, they were unable to compete for the higher paying, education required job. This educational gap on the farm did not allow for economic prosperity or growth during the Great Depression.

Political Reform and the Common Man

The Great Depression caused a multitude of issues for the common men and women of America, and many believed that their political parties were providing little to no help in these troubling times. The common men and women of America being those working low paying jobs, lacking status in society. As many lost their jobs and were suffering financially, they felt inclined to listen to the side of other political representatives allowing them to change outlooks and alliances.  Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policy allowed him to change many southerners’ views as he implemented the Agricultural Adjustment Act which, “improved the lives of farmers by artificially increasing their incomes”.  Farmers of the south were traditionally Republican, however after the Great Depression many understood the need for money and programs that would allow their income to increase.  These programs were being guaranteed in the Democratic party through President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal program. The apparent class divide among political parties was further brought to life by the crippling Great Depression.   The impoverished of America needed help from the government, and the only representatives willing to provide the help at the time were the Democratic party. The rich had no need to realign themselves based on political economic policy as either way they remained unaffected.  It is apparent the Great Depression had the greatest effects on the common man, but especially when it comes to the change in political alignment for many in the south following the economic downturn.

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