Race, Social Reform, and the Making of a Middle Class

The American Missionary Association and Black Atlanta, 1870-1900

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies
Cover of the book Race, Social Reform, and the Making of a Middle Class by Joseph O. Jewell, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Joseph O. Jewell ISBN: 9781461641650
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Publication: March 21, 2007
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Language: English
Author: Joseph O. Jewell
ISBN: 9781461641650
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publication: March 21, 2007
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Language: English

Moral reform movements targeting racial minorities have long been central in negotiating the relationship between race and class in the United States, particularly in periods of large scale social change. Over a century ago, when the abolition of racial slavery, Southern Reconstruction, industrialization, and urban migration presented challenges to both race and class hierarchies in the South, postbellum missionary reform organizations like the American Missionary Association crusaded to establish schools, colleges, and churches for Blacks in Southern cities like Atlanta that would aggressively erode cultural differences among former slaves and assimilate them into a civic order defined by Anglo-Protestant culture. While the AMA's missionary institutions in Atlanta sought to shift racial dynamics between Blacks and Whites, they also fueled struggles over the social and cultural boundaries of middle class belonging in a region beset by social change. Drawing upon late nineteenth century accounts of AMA missionary activity in Atlanta, Black attempts to define and maintain a middle class identity, and Atlanta Whites' concerns about Black attempts at upward mobility, the author argue that the rhetoric about the implications of increased minority access to middle class resources like education and cultural knowledge speaks to links between anxieties about class position and racial status in societies stratified by both class and race.

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

Moral reform movements targeting racial minorities have long been central in negotiating the relationship between race and class in the United States, particularly in periods of large scale social change. Over a century ago, when the abolition of racial slavery, Southern Reconstruction, industrialization, and urban migration presented challenges to both race and class hierarchies in the South, postbellum missionary reform organizations like the American Missionary Association crusaded to establish schools, colleges, and churches for Blacks in Southern cities like Atlanta that would aggressively erode cultural differences among former slaves and assimilate them into a civic order defined by Anglo-Protestant culture. While the AMA's missionary institutions in Atlanta sought to shift racial dynamics between Blacks and Whites, they also fueled struggles over the social and cultural boundaries of middle class belonging in a region beset by social change. Drawing upon late nineteenth century accounts of AMA missionary activity in Atlanta, Black attempts to define and maintain a middle class identity, and Atlanta Whites' concerns about Black attempts at upward mobility, the author argue that the rhetoric about the implications of increased minority access to middle class resources like education and cultural knowledge speaks to links between anxieties about class position and racial status in societies stratified by both class and race.

More books from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Cover of the book A History of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Historical Dictionary of Malta by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Medievalia et Humanistica, No. 42 by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book The Hebrew Republic by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book The Banana Wars by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Prescribing Health by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book The New Motherhoods by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Early Childhood Education by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Securing the Schoolyard by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book The London Stage 1950-1959 by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Historical Dictionary of the British Empire by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Blood on the Stage, 1600 to 1800 by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Ten Political Ideas that Have Shaped the Modern World by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Improving Urban Science Education by Joseph O. Jewell
Cover of the book Breaking Barriers by Joseph O. Jewell
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