Residential Jim Crow and Class Struggles in the South.

"Residential Jim Crow and Class Struggles in the South" by Elizabeth A. Herbin-Triant examines the efforts of white individuals in North Carolina to segregate urban and rural areas in the early 20th century. The book focuses on legislative attempts to segregate black and white residences and farms, using a range of historical sources including newspapers, legislative records, and the writings of Clarence Poe, a prominent figure in the campaign for residential segregation. Herbin-Triant argues that class divisions among white North Carolinians ultimately prevented the implementation of legally mandated residential segregation, as middling whites sought to protect their economic assets while white elites feared interference with their access to cheap black labor. The book provides a nuanced understanding of the complexities of Jim Crow segregation in the American South, highlighting the role of local political and economic arrangements and the varying visions of segregation based on class status. [Extracted from the article]