Self-Construction And Reconstruction In The Journals Of Charles W. Chesnutt

Charles Chesnutt served as a teacher and supervisor of instruction in North Carolina from 1874 to 1883. During this time he wrote journals that documented his personal, professional, and political experiences. His journals were published for the first time in 1993 and have been awaiting scholarly discussion and analysis in the context of the time and place in which they were written. Chesnutt's journals reveal the maturation of a young man as he confronted issues of race and identity in the post Civil War South. This thesis analyzes the journals and the insight they provide into Chesnutt's life and times, focusing on the personal implications of his mixed race ancestry and the accompanying limitations for his professional and political aspirations.