The History Behind Headwraps
While headwraps are a popular accessory among both blacks and whites, they have historic beginnings and are among the oldest clothing items still in use in America today. Prior to the Civil War, several Southern states enforced a law which required blacks to cover their heads in public but prevented them from wearing hats as did white women. Black women wore headwraps to meet this requirement, as well as to absorb sweat and keep their hair clean. Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion explains this, and notes that although women ceased wearing headwraps in public after the Civil War, they continued to wear them at home. African Americans involved in the civil rights movement reinvigorated the style when, in the 1960's and 70's they began to wear headwraps in public to acknowledge both their slave ancestors and their African roots.
Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion Cabell Library Reference GT507 .E53 2005
--Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian - Research and Reference Services