Matata and Jesse James: An American Tragedy draws on folklore and historical record to tell the bitter tale of America during the Reconstruction Era - a time in our country when many hoped that poor whites and poor blacks could find common ground, support each other, and build a more equitable and democratic United States.
Matata and Jesse James juxtaposes two Missouri families - that of Matata, a former African American slave, with that of of Jesse James, known as a friend to the poor who'd fought for the Confederacy.
Can these poor Americans find common ground in the Civil War’s aftermath? The color line runs deep through our country's history and culture.
