Book description
Despite its significance in world and American history, the World War I
era is seldom identified as a turning point in southern history, as it
failed to trigger substantial economic, political, or social change in
the South. Yet in 1917, black and white reformers in South Carolina saw
their world on the brink of momentous change. In a state politically
controlled by a white minority, the war era incited oppositional
movements. As South Carolina's economy benefited from the war, white
reformers sought to use their newfound prosperity to better the state's
education system and economy and to provide white citizens with a better
standard of living. Black reformers, however, channeled the feelings of
hope instilled by a war that would “make the world safe for democracy”
into efforts that challenged the structures of the status quo. In
Entangled by White Supremacy: Reform in World War I-era South Carolina,
historian Janet G. Hudson examines the complex racial and social
dynamics at play during this pivotal period of U. S. history. With
critical study of the early war mobilization efforts, public policy
debates, and the state's political culture, Hudson illustrates how the
politics of white supremacy hindered the reform efforts of both white
and black activists. The World War I period was a complicated time in
South Carolina-an era of prosperity and hope as well as fear and
anxiety. As African Americans sought to change the social order, white
reformers confronted the realization that their newfound economic
opportunities could also erode their control. Hudson details how white
supremacy formed an impenetrable barrier to progress in the region.
Entangled by White Supremacy explains why white southerners failed to
construct a progressive society by revealing the incompatibility of
white reformers' twin goals of maintaining white supremacy and achieving
progressive reform. In addition, Hudson offers insight into the social
history of South Carolina and the development of the state's crucial
role in the civil rights era to come. Janet G. Hudson, assistant
professor of history in the department of continuing education at the
University of South Carolina, is the author of several articles on South
Carolina history. This is her first book.
