The turbulent decade following the Civil War reshaped Mississippi in profound and lasting ways. On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, historian and author Jere Nash will lead an engaging discussion in Natchez exploring this pivotal era and the city’s overlooked influence in shaping the state’s Reconstruction story.
Titled The Forgotten Role of Natchez in the Reconstruction Era of Mississippi, the program will take place at 108 South Commerce Street, beginning with a social at 5:30 p.m. followed by the presentation at 6:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Nash, a Greenville native and retired political consultant, is the author of Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1862–1877, a narrative history that examines the ten years following the Civil War—a time marked by both opportunity and opposition. His presentation will highlight how Black Mississippians courageously embraced their new freedom, while many White Mississippians struggled to accept the sweeping social changes that followed emancipation.
A respected voice in Mississippi history and politics, Nash has co-authored several acclaimed works, including Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976–2008 and Mississippi Fried Politics: Tall Tales from the Back Rooms, both written with Andy Taggart. Mississippi Politics earned dual honors in 2006 from the Mississippi Historical Society and the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for its exceptional contribution to the understanding of the state’s political evolution.
Nash also collaborated with former Governor Haley Barbour on America’s Great Storm: Leading Through Hurricane Katrina, offering insight into leadership and resilience during one of the nation’s most devastating natural disasters.
His latest work, Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1862–1877, is part of the Heritage of Mississippi series, providing a comprehensive and accessible examination of one of the most misunderstood chapters in American history. Through his research and storytelling, Nash sheds light on the people, places, and politics that defined Mississippi’s journey from war to rebuilding—and the lasting impact that period continues to hold today.
Attendees can expect a thoughtful and informative evening that reexamines Natchez’s forgotten role in this era of transformation and reckoning, guided by one of Mississippi’s most insightful historians.