European University Institute Library

Freedom in a slave society, stories from the antebellum South, Johanna Nicol Shields

eng

index present

non fiction

Freedom in a slave society

electronic resource

dictionaries

828303644

Johanna Nicol Shields

Cambridge studies on the American SouthCambridge Social Sciences eBooks

stories from the antebellum South

Before the Civil War, most Southern white people were as strongly committed to freedom for their kind as to slavery for African Americans. This study views that tragic reality through the lens of eight authors - representatives of a South that seemed, to them, destined for greatness but was, we know, on the brink of destruction. Exceptionally able and ambitious, these men and women won repute among the educated middle classes in the Southwest, South and the nation, even amid sectional tensions. Although they sometimes described liberty in the abstract, more often these authors discussed its practical significance: what it meant for people to make life's important choices freely and to be responsible for the results. They publicly insisted that freedom caused progress, but hidden doubts clouded this optimistic vision. Ultimately, their association with the oppression of slavery dimmed their hopes for human improvement, and fear distorted their responses to the sectional crisis.--, Provided by publisher

Regarding a "weird utopia" -- Self-making in southwestern towns -- The domestic foundations of self-determination -- The voluntary bonds of friendship -- Southwestern histories for a divided market -- Slave characters and the problem of human nature -- Slavery and political trust -- Self-determination and slavery in conflict