Out of Disaster Comes Community

A recurring theme throughout Hard Times is the notion that out of the desperation of a crisis, community forms. This manifests itself in many ways as related by the interviewees in the book, from unions to farmer's movements, government developments to artistic communities.

The most frequent form of community mentioned throughout the text is the labor union, perhaps most vividly in the 1936 Flint Sit-Down strike. In order to pacify both Chrysler leadership and Michigan governor Frank Murphy, strikers create a small community in the plant, ensuring no car part, machinery, or other company property is damaged. Local supporters bring food and encouragement to the autoworkers.

John Beecher describes in Concerning the New Deal what was considered a miracle at the time: a self-governing Negro community built in Alabama. Local authorities claim that the black population is incapable of civilized society. Beecher, upon opening the...