Excerpt from Negro Year Book: An Annual Encyclopedia of the Negro, 1937-1938
If one took into account only what has happened to Negroes in the recent depression years, he could easily present facts to indicate, at least from an economic standpoint, that the group had not made progress, but had lost much of its gains of previous years. In order to get a more accurate measure of the progress of the Negro group in America it is necessary to take a long time view. It is for this reason that the seventy years, 1866 to 1936, is taken. This is the period that has elapsed since slavery was abolished in the United States, and under freedom Negroes have had opportunity, in spite of handicaps and restrictions, to demonstrate their capabilities.
The depression caused a marked decrease in property owning by Negroes of both farm lands and city property.
As an example, the Negroes of Georgia in 1928 made tax returns on 1,444,294 acres of land assessed at ,491,117. In 1934, the . CLICK HERE TO START DOWNLOAD