Constructing a War: WW II oral histories of shipbuilding and racial policy

Summary

The Liberty 70 project is a collection of research pertaining to the Liberty ship The James Eagan Layne ( JEL), who was beached and sank in Whitsand Bay near Plymouth, England, on March 1945. The Liberty 70 project seeks to record all aspects of the JEL from birth to her sinking. The James Eagan Layne is also believed to be the most dived wreck in the UK, and for many she has been their first experience wreck diving. One such research aspect is the history of her birth and construction from Mildred Aupied at the Delta Shipyard which was located in New Orleans, LA. Ms. Mildred at a youthful 90 years old told us of her time in the Delta Shipyard welding Liberty Ships like the JEL, encountering the social stresses of working in a divided south at a shipyard, when actions and views supporting social skilled labor equality during WWII was a dangerous language. This poster will present the preliminary research of oral histories such as Mildreds and many others in hopes to better understand demand for labor, racial conflict and the catalysts forming the civil rights movement during WWII within the United States.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Poster Session   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): POS-98,25