Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2022/Spring/105i/section007/Fred Gouch

Overview

Fred Gouch, born in Raleigh, North Carolina, was a metal molder who was interviewed under the Federal Writer's Project on May 3, 1939.

Biography

Early Life

Fred Gouch
Occupation	Metal Molder
Spouse(s)	Maggie Gouch
Children	Seven children
Relatives	Three sisters, one brother

Fred Gouch was born In Raleigh, North Carolina to a father who took whatever work he could find. His father died while he was young, leaving his mother with land and $5000. His mother decided to move to town and for a time his family was well off. However, when he was in elementary school, his brother was accused of child rape and tried in court. After two trials, his brother was sentenced to the death penalty, but after an appeal the sentence was alleviated. Gouch's mother had to spend all of her money and sell most of her property in order to pay for the trials, appeal, and half a dozen lawyers, leaving Gouch's family with little left. Three years later, his mother died, forcing Gouch to find work so he could help support his family. His brother also helped, but when he married his brother stopped, making Gouch the head of the household. Gouch was forced to sell all of his family’s furniture as well as their house and had to rent another one. He was able to make enough money to send each of his sisters to school until 5th or 6th grade, at which point they went to work in factories. All of his sisters (except for one) were married by the age of 21, and the one who wasn’t lived with him for a long time, even up until the time when Gouch was interviewed.

Later Life

Gouch married when he was 21. At the time of his interview, his household consisted of wife, his seven children, his sister, and her husband. He firmly believed that Roosevelt was the "poor man's friend" (which is likely why he agreed to be interviewed, since the interview was a direct result of Roosevelt's presidency), but also stated that he didn't care much for politics. Gouch, as a Christian, believed that the church was much more important than politics, and raised his children under a Christian roof. His parenting style was relatively strict, but understanding. In the interview, he said that "I don't feel that a child who is cramped will ever develop in mind and body as he should. In disciplining them I try to remember that I was once a child myself."

Historical Context

Capital Punishment in America Leading Up to and During the Great Depression

Capital Punishment During the Progressive Era

Capital punishment has always been a contentious subject, and this was especially true during the progressive era in the United States. As a result of a sudden new push for more progressive laws, many laws were passed in the early 20th century that suppressed the ability to sentence criminals to the death penalty. Ten states completely abolished it. The main reason people gave for opposing capital punishment during this time period was the fact that an innocent person could be executed, which would be irreversible (as opposed to life in prison). An article published in The American Israelite during this time period said, when discussing the case of an innocent man who was first sentenced to the death penalty, but then sentenced to life in prison and later paroled, that "Had the original sentence of death been carried out, correction of the tragic error would have been impossible." Another factor that has a large impact on the use of the death penalty is the general economic state of a nation. For example, scholars have analyzed the middle ages in Europe and found that capital punishment was used much more during economic recessions when the general population was no longer able to pay fines. If one would apply this general idea to America during the progressive era, it would make sense that the use of capital punishment was falling off. Another way the state of the economy in a nation impacts the use of the death penalty is mentioned in an article written in the The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, which argues that there may have been a reluctance to execute people who could positively contribute to the economy.

Capital Punishment During the Great Depression

During the Great Depression, the use of capital punishment increased, evidenced by the fact that eight of the ten states that had completely abolished the death penalty had reinstated it during the time period. There are many reasons for this occurring. For one thing, since the economic state of a nation correlates to its use of capital punishment, the fact that the number of death penalties given increased during the Great Depression isn't surprising. Another reason is that the number of crimes, particularly robberies, increased during the Great Depression. Many gruesome cases of these crimes became publicized and well known, causing an increase in support for capital punishment from the general public. Scholars also noted that support for the abolition of capital punishment tends to decrease after a few years of zero executions. Ever since the Great Depression, the use of capital punishment has been trending downwards.

Child Labor in America Before the Great Depression

Child labor, more so than capital punishment, has always been a contentious subject. Before the industrial revolution, children working on farms was incredibly common among families. During the industrial revolution, a debate arose around whether or not children should work in factories as opposed to on farms, but the use of children as laborers still hadn't decreased. It wasn't uncommon for people to accuse those who sent their children to factories of not loving their children, while being fully in support of children working in agriculture. Many progressives during the progressive era argued against child labor in general, which contended with working class families who had no other option. Scholars noted that as a result of many laws being passed that banned child labor, more mothers began to work in order to make up for the lost income children used to provide. They also noted that it took a while before the laws began actually having an impact, since enforcement of said laws was also required.

References

"A Life of Toil." Interview by Matthews, Pat and Massengill, Edwin, May 3, 1939, Folder 621 in the Federal Writers' Project papers #3709, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/03709/id/638/rec/1

Galliher, John F., Gregory Ray, and Brent Cook. “Abolition and Reinstatement of Capital Punishment during the Progressive Era and Early 20th Century.” The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-) 83, no. 3 (1992): 538–76. https://doi.org/10.2307/1143838.

Gratton, Brian, and Jon Moen. “Immigration, Culture, and Child Labor in the United States, 1880-1920.” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 34, no. 3 (2004): 355–91. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3657042

Kleinberg, S. J. “Children’s and Mothers’ Wage Labor in Three Eastern U. S. Cities, 1880-1920.” Social Science History 29, no. 1 (2005): 45–76. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40267866.

"Capital Punishment: Emanu-El, San Francisco)." The American Israelite (1874-2000), Aug 24, 1928. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/capital-punishment/docview/1009431246/se-2?accountid=14244.

Eckberg, Douglas , “Prisoners executed under civil authority, by race and offense: 1930–1998.” Table Ec343-357 in Historical Statistics of the United States, Earliest Times to the Present: Millennial Edition, edited by Susan B. Carter, Scott Sigmund Gartner, Michael R. Haines, Alan L. Olmstead, Richard Sutch, and Gavin Wright. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ISBN-9780511132971.Ec298-425