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The WPA Redeemer Narratives: White Mississippians and Reconstruction Memory in the New Deal Era.

The article explores the works of Works Progress Administration (WPA) in shaping the collective memory of Reconstruction in Mississippi during the 1930s. It highlights the local struggles and personal contributions of formerly enslaved Mississippians to Reconstruction's demise. The WPA redeemer narr...

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Published in:Journal of Southern History Vol. 91; no. 1; pp. 99 - 135
Main Author: WARD, JASON MORGAN
Format: Article
Published: Southern Historical Association Feb2025
Subjects:
United States. Works Progress Administration
Collective memory
Reconstruction (1914-1939)
New Deal, 1933-1939
Enslaved persons
Mississippi
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The article explores the works of Works Progress Administration (WPA) in shaping the collective memory of Reconstruction in Mississippi during the 1930s. It highlights the local struggles and personal contributions of formerly enslaved Mississippians to Reconstruction's demise. The WPA redeemer narratives reveal the lessons of Reconstruction through several years of mediation and why particular memories resonated in economic and political turmoil.