UCF Summer Internship Week #7

 Welcome back to Week #7 of my summer internship with UCF’s CHDR and the NSB MOH! This week, I’m continuing to work remotely while on a family trip on the West Coast, and as of right now, we’re in Tacoma, Washington, where we’re stopping to visit my eldest brother and his partner. This means that once again, I’ve been working on the sometimes monotonous task of reviewing uploaded scans and entering the relevant metadata. On the bright side, the papers I’ve been doing data entry on this past week have ended up containing some of the most interesting content I’ve gotten the chance to read so far in this project. Right now, I’m going through uploads of the New Smyrna Breeze newspaper from 1931 and 1932, and it’s been interesting getting to read primary source references to historical events that I’ve learned about in class. Unsurprisingly, evidence of the Great Depression can be found everywhere in these issues. While the majority of content is comprised of local stories or various medicine ads, I found a number of political cartoons that make specific reference to the effects of the Depression. One cartoon from March 27, 1931, paints a picture of two opposite kinds of “bonus beneficiaries.” The first panel is a grateful vet who thanks taxpayers for providing the money he needs to care for his family, while the second shows a wealthy man mockingly thanking taxpayers for buying him a new car. Since many WWI veterans were beginning to call for their bonus payments by 1931, this comic is likely in reference to their requests. As I find the creation of the“Bonus Army” an especially interesting aspect of Depression era history, it was cool to see evidence of the opposing viewpoints people held on the matter. Furthermore, it's fascinating to get a look into the lead-up to the “Bonus March” in 1932. It’s not subtle at all, but you can get an idea of how the economic struggles affected the national mood back then. Mixed in with the charged political cartoons are these upbeat advertisements for a promotional event where subscribers to The New Smyrna Breeze can earn prizes/cash by sending in nomination coupons or “First Subscription” coupons. While the mood in these ads paints a much happier picture of 1930s America than many of the political cartoons, it still represents the effects of the Depression, just in a different way. According to the giveaway rules, a person earns the most points by becoming a first-time subscriber; an obvious attempt to entice new business during a time when revenue is low. Furthermore, there is an obvious push to communicate that anyone who enters is likely to earn even a small cash prize, further incentivizing purchases at a time when people are looking for any available revenue.