This thesis examines the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, specifically in Gulf South bus boycotts in Baton Rouge, Montgomery, and Tallahassee; voter registration efforts in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida; and Head Start work in those same Deep South states. Domestic workers engaged in activism by joining unions, women's movements, and the Communist Party to improve their treatment in Northern and Southern cities. Modern historians have expanded their research to explore the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, especially in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In some cases, researchers also have explored the complicated relationships domestic workers had with their employers. By looking at oral histories and secondary historical works on domestic workers, this thesis argues that Deep South domestic workers were significant participants in some of the most prominent civil rights demonstrations. They boycotted buses and worked with local groups to increase voter registration, improve education, and promote protests. These actions reinforced the idea that though domestic workers faced low pay, long hours, and oppressive work conditions, they also were activists for themselves, their families, and their communities.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis examines the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, specifically in Gulf South bus boycotts in Baton Rouge, Montgomery, and Tallahassee; voter registration efforts in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida; and Head Start work in those same Deep South states. Domestic workers engaged in activism by joining unions, women's movements, and the Communist Party to improve their treatment in Northern and Southern cities. Modern historians have expanded their research to explore the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, especially in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In some cases, researchers also have explored the complicated relationships domestic workers had with their employers. By looking at oral histories and secondary historical works on domestic workers, this thesis argues that Deep South domestic workers were significant participants in some of the most prominent civil rights demonstrations. They boycotted buses and worked with local groups to increase voter registration, improve education, and promote protests. These actions reinforced the idea that though domestic workers faced low pay, long hours, and oppressive work conditions, they also were activists for themselves, their families, and their communities.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Carey, Brittany Ann"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Rebecca Tuuri","Andrew P. Haley","Kevin Greene"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-12-08T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-12-08T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:40Z","subjects":["Domestic Workers","Bus Boycotts","Voter Registration","Head Start","Labor History","Public History","Social History","United States History","Women's History"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/947","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Rebecca Tuuri","Andrew P. Haley","Kevin Greene"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Carey, Brittany Ann"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-12-08T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Domestic Workers","Bus Boycotts","Voter Registration","Head Start","Labor History","Public History","Social History","United States History","Women's History"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/947"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis examines the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, specifically in Gulf South bus boycotts in Baton Rouge, Montgomery, and Tallahassee; voter registration efforts in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida; and Head Start work in those same Deep South states. Domestic workers engaged in activism by joining unions, women's movements, and the Communist Party to improve their treatment in Northern and Southern cities. Modern historians have expanded their research to explore the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, especially in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In some cases, researchers also have explored the complicated relationships domestic workers had with their employers. By looking at oral histories and secondary historical works on domestic workers, this thesis argues that Deep South domestic workers were significant participants in some of the most prominent civil rights demonstrations. They boycotted buses and worked with local groups to increase voter registration, improve education, and promote protests. These actions reinforced the idea that though domestic workers faced low pay, long hours, and oppressive work conditions, they also were activists for themselves, their families, and their communities.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["MILITANT MAIDS: DOMESTIC WORKERS’ PARTICIPATION IN BUS BOYCOTTS, VOTER REGISTRATION, AND HEAD START PROGRAMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Rebecca Tuuri","Andrew P. Haley","Kevin Greene"],"dc:creator":["Carey, Brittany Ann"],"dc:date.available":["2022-12-08T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis examines the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, specifically in Gulf South bus boycotts in Baton Rouge, Montgomery, and Tallahassee; voter registration efforts in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida; and Head Start work in those same Deep South states. Domestic workers engaged in activism by joining unions, women's movements, and the Communist Party to improve their treatment in Northern and Southern cities. Modern historians have expanded their research to explore the participation of domestic workers in the Civil Rights Movement, especially in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In some cases, researchers also have explored the complicated relationships domestic workers had with their employers. By looking at oral histories and secondary historical works on domestic workers, this thesis argues that Deep South domestic workers were significant participants in some of the most prominent civil rights demonstrations. They boycotted buses and worked with local groups to increase voter registration, improve education, and promote protests. These actions reinforced the idea that though domestic workers faced low pay, long hours, and oppressive work conditions, they also were activists for themselves, their families, and their communities.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/947"],"dc:subject":["Domestic Workers","Bus Boycotts","Voter Registration","Head Start","Labor History","Public History","Social History","United States History","Women's History"],"dc:title":["MILITANT MAIDS: DOMESTIC WORKERS’ PARTICIPATION IN BUS BOYCOTTS, VOTER REGISTRATION, AND HEAD START PROGRAMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:40Z"}