Poor but Proud: Alabama's Poor Whites

by Wayne Flynt

First published in 1989 by The University of Alabama Press,  Poor but Proud  was met with critical acclaim and awarded the 1990 Lillian Smith prize in nonfiction, as well as being named a  CHOICE  Outstanding Academic Book. This new paperback version will make the classic work available for general readers, bookstores, and classrooms.

Wayne Flynt addresses the life experiences of poor whites through their occupations, society, and culture. He explores their family structure, music, religion, folklore, crafts, and politics and describes their attempts to resolve their own problems through labor unions and political movements. He reveals that many of our stereotypes about poor whites are wildly exaggerated; few were derelicts or "white trash." Even though racism, emotionalism, and a penchant for violence were possible among poor whites, most bore their troubles with dignity and self-respect - working hard to eventually lift themselves out of poverty.

The phrase "poor but proud" aptly describes many white Alabamians who settled the state and persisted through time. During the antebellum years, poor whites developed a distinctive culture on the periphery of the cotton belt. As herdsmen, subsistence farmers, mill workers, and miners, they flourished in a society more renowned for its two-class division of planters and slaves. The New Deal era and the advent of World War II broke the long downward spiral of poverty and afforded new opportunities for upward mobility.
 

Genres: History, Nonfiction

484 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1989

About the author

James Wayne Flynt is Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at Auburn University. He has won numerous teaching awards and been a Distinguished University Professor for many years. His research focuses on Southern culture, Alabama politics, Southern religion, education reform, and poverty. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Online Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Reviews

[Mayumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth analysis of origin, occupations and cultural patterns of poor whites in Alabama, with large volume of details as evidence to support the author's surmise. This non-fiction work is an excellent socio-cultural research of the particular ethnic group.

Most interesting part in this book is the literary themes of poor whites cultural production. These prople are under average education level, most of whom are considered illterate, so they are rarely taken into account in the writings of southern cultural history. But this group indeed have folklore and storytelling tradition, employing something from Native American and African American. Their organized efforts to resist coal owners. Relief is also a long time issue of debate and the author elaborates on how the society weighs pros against cons concerning doling out money to the poor people. But the government failed to address the fundamental cause of poverty among tenants and workers and laborers, not to mention that the New Deal made their status quo worsened. I pressume that's the reason why they are smeared so oftern. The society had to find scapegoat to shuffle their failure to poor whites who were to take the blame. The poor whites are describled as individual of independence, violence, resistance to authority and cultural isolation, hinting that they derserve to follow such pattern of life. On the other hand, hillbillies take pride in unyelding to intervention from outside, and celebrate their uncultured and agrarian life. Even working poor whites inherit cultural traits such as tenacity and independence.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poverty, unlike politics, is color-blind; despite the association of US poverty with urban blacks or migrant workers, poverty is alive and well in 'majority' whites. Poor But Proud is a social history of Alabama's working poor, beginning with the state's early settlement and continuing onward through the 1980s, though the chief focus ends with the Great Depression. In addition to covering the primary occupations of the poor (farming, textile mills, timbering, and coal mines), Flynt addresses the political issues they raised, and explores poor white culture, particularly religion and folk traditions. He also gives special consideration to conditions like tenancy farming and milltown paternalism, probing the question of why they developed as they did. Flynt draws extensively on interviews with living witnesses as well as studies done by concerned sociologists and economic developers who viewed the impoverishment of the south and Alabama in particular as a national burden to be recitifed. Though derided as lazy, shiftless, and vulgar, the poor themselves did what they could to alleviate their circumstances, joining together in unions and driving the Democratic party toward more populism through the Grange movement.In other areas, like education, they were dependent on outside help; Episcopal missionaries served as teachers, but their structured and serene religion as quite different from the enthusiastic sects the poor embraced, like Pentecostalism. Race religions are touched on, expressed in conflict and cooperation, but not emphasized. Poor but Proud impresses with its heft; being weighty in detail, it's a first class source for anyone interested in the lifestyle and occupation of the working poor in Alabama before the world wars. While not a drama-laden narrative, it doesn't lose readability for substance. Flynt has authored similar works and is the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting but, like most academic history books, very very detailed. I skimmed some parts. I really liked the part about Alabama agricultural life prior to the Civil War and how that changed as a result of it. I didn't realize just how significant of a change it was. I also liked the part about experimental communities created during the New Deal, like the mud houses in Mt. Olive, near where I live.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a native of Alabama whose maternal family were poor but proud whites mining coal and growing their own food in Marion and Winston counties, this book helped me understand them better and how their fierce pride often hurt them and kept them poor. Wayne Flynt is an Alabama treasure and our state's conscience. He is my hero for being unafraid to tell it like it is.

[Roger Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by Dr. Flynt.

[Jake Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched, written and analyzed discussion of Alabama's poor white culture and circumstances.