Impressions of black voting habits
Carter describes how she believed the African American community had voted during the mid-twentieth century.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Margaret Carter, October 25, 1975. Interview A-0309-1. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- CHANDLER DAVIDSON:
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Was there a fairly sharp increase after the white primary decision?
- MARGARET CARTER:
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Yes, with the white primary decision, blacks became interested in at
least becoming Democratic precinct chairmen in the precincts they
dominated, because they didn't understand too much about, say, the
difference between Dr. Hammond and Mr. Jarvis, but they could
understand, because they could listen to the radio, the difference
between Roosevelt and his detractors and they very much wanted to
support Roosevelt.
- CHANDLER DAVIDSON:
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What was the reason for their not being able to clearly understand the
issues in city government?
- MARGARET CARTER:
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Well, they could be confused much more easily when you had only one
newspaper and the newspaper also owned the local radio station, than on
national issues.
- CHANDLER DAVIDSON:
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Does Ft. Worth have non-partisan municipal elections?
- MARGARET CARTER:
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Yes.
- CHANDLER DAVIDSON:
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Do you think that had any influence on the tendency to be confused?
- MARGARET CARTER:
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Yes. It was only very occasionally that any slates of candidates ran for
city offices, so there were just individuals that they had to select and
that was beyond them. It wasn't just that there were several unsavory
characters in control, but that the ministers were pretty venal and they
were able to get some participation from their congregations, which they
controlled. They probably didn't understand
the issues either, or maybe we didn't understand the issues.