To know the soul of a people: religion, race, and the making of Southern folk

Preface: The legacy of Hampton : folk, religion, and classifying the cabin people

Introduction: Before the Black underclass concept

Moralizing the folk : the Negro problem, racial heredity, and religion in the Progressive Era

Assimilating the folk : white Southern liberals, revival religion, and regional isolation

Medicalizing the folk : superstitions, family, and germs in the venereal disease control program

Saving the folk : cultural lag and the Southern roots of the religion of poverty

Preserving the folk : folk songs and the irony of romanticism

Conclusion: The aftermath of the religion of Southern folk.