Honors Theses
Date of Award
5-10-2019
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
History
First Advisor
Darren Grem
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the social and racial factors that contributed to the cultural significance of U.S. Highway 61. First, I explore the background of road building and transportation in the United States. Next I detail the history of convict labor in the South, from convict leasing to convict labor on roads as a result of the Good Roads Movement. Third, I describe how economic and social conditions contributed to the out-migration of southerners during the twentieth century. Lastly, I analyze how social conditions spawned the Mississippi Delta blues, and how Highway 61 became a symbol of opportunity for blues musicians.
Recommended Citation
Willcoxon, Samuel, "Highway 61: Good Roads, Great Migrations, and Delta Blues" (2019). Honors Theses. 1000.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1000
Accessibility Status
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