Plain Folk and Gentry in a Slave Society: White Liberty and Black Slavery in Augusta’s Hinterlands

by J. William Harris

Hardcover, 1985

Status

Available

Publication

Wesleyan, (1985)

Description

In this exciting study, J. William Harris explores two great ironies of American history-the South's commitment to a liberty supported by slavery and its attempt to maintain the status quo with a war that undermined southern society. He examines why white southerners-most of whom did not own slaves-united in a long, bloody war to preserve the institution, arguing that slaveowners relied on an ideology of liberty, a potential for social mobility, and a web of personal relationships between classes to contain white class divisions and ensure control over the black population. The strains of war, Harris shows, dissolved these bonds of community and made Confederate victory impossible, forever changing southern society.

User reviews

LibraryThing member samfsmith
An extensive examination of the yeoman and gentry classes around Augusta just prior to the Civil War.

Language

Original language

English

Barcode

10429
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