Anna Garrard

• BA (Hons) History & Archaeology
• Living Contraband: The Transition of Racial Attitudes After the American Civil War

Historiographical interpretations of the transitional period following the American Civil War (1861-65) have tended to revolve around political ‘Reconstruction’ and its failure to secure lasting social and economic change for the emancipated slaves. This project examines the changing representation of African Americans in popular literary and cultural publications, in art and in the newspapers of the post-war period in order to provide contextual depth for the political problems that the freed slaves encountered. Specifically, by examining archaeological evidence alongside historical archive data, this research aims to draw a correlation between the era’s material culture and the political discourse of Reconstruction.

Project Supervisor: Prof Susan-Mary Grant, School of History, Classics & Archaeology

Funding Source: Newcastle University