Stories of the South

Race and the Reconstruction of Southern Identity, 1865-1915

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), 19th Century
Cover of the book Stories of the South by K. Stephen Prince, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: K. Stephen Prince ISBN: 9781469614199
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: April 28, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: K. Stephen Prince
ISBN: 9781469614199
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: April 28, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, the character of the South, and even its persistence as a distinct region, was an open question. During Reconstruction, the North assumed significant power to redefine the South, imagining a region rebuilt and modeled on northern society. The white South actively resisted these efforts, battling the legal strictures of Reconstruction on the ground. Meanwhile, white southern storytellers worked to recast the South's image, romanticizing the Lost Cause and heralding the birth of a New South. In Stories of the South, K. Stephen Prince argues that this cultural production was as important as political competition and economic striving in turning the South and the nation away from the egalitarian promises of Reconstruction and toward Jim Crow.

Examining novels, minstrel songs, travel brochures, illustrations, oratory, and other cultural artifacts produced in the half century following the Civil War, Prince demonstrates the centrality of popular culture to the reconstruction of southern identity, shedding new light on the complicity of the North in the retreat from the possibility of racial democracy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, the character of the South, and even its persistence as a distinct region, was an open question. During Reconstruction, the North assumed significant power to redefine the South, imagining a region rebuilt and modeled on northern society. The white South actively resisted these efforts, battling the legal strictures of Reconstruction on the ground. Meanwhile, white southern storytellers worked to recast the South's image, romanticizing the Lost Cause and heralding the birth of a New South. In Stories of the South, K. Stephen Prince argues that this cultural production was as important as political competition and economic striving in turning the South and the nation away from the egalitarian promises of Reconstruction and toward Jim Crow.

Examining novels, minstrel songs, travel brochures, illustrations, oratory, and other cultural artifacts produced in the half century following the Civil War, Prince demonstrates the centrality of popular culture to the reconstruction of southern identity, shedding new light on the complicity of the North in the retreat from the possibility of racial democracy.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Genteel Tradition and the Sacred Rage by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book The Louis A. Pérez Jr. Cuba Trilogy, Omnibus E-book by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Reluctant Rebels by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Shifting Loyalties by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Race, Poverty, and American Cities by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Charles I and the Popish Plot by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Death Blow to Jim Crow by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Manifest Destiny's Underworld by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Beyond Love and Loyalty by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book A Government by the People by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Sovereign Entrepreneurs by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book The Myth of the Picaro by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Harvesting Change by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book Cheddi Jagan and the Politics of Power by K. Stephen Prince
Cover of the book State and Revolution in Cuba by K. Stephen Prince
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy