Race relations at the margins : slaves and poor whites in the antebellum Southern countryside

cover image

Where to find it

Davis Library (5th floor)

Call Number
F220.A1 F67 2006
Status
Available

North Carolina Collection (Wilson Library)

Call Number
C970.51 F731r
Note
Dustjacket.
Call Number
C970.51 F731r
Status
In-Library Use Only
Item Note
Dustjacket.

Stone Center Library

Call Number
F220.A1 F67 2006 c. 2
Status
Available

Authors, etc.

Names:

Summary

Covering a broad geographic scope from Virginia to South Carolina between 1820 and 1860, Jeff Forret scrutinizes relations among rural poor whites and slaves, a subject previously unexplored and certainly under-reported. Forret?s findings challenge historians? long-held assumption that mutual violence and animosity characterized the two groups? interactions; he reveals that while poor whites and slaves sometimes experienced bouts of hostility, often they worked or played in harmony and camaraderie. Race Relations at the Margins is remarkable for its focus on lower-class whites and their dealings with slaves outside the purview of the master. Race and class, Forret demonstrates, intersected in unique ways for those at the margins of southern society, challenging the belief that race created a social cohesion among whites regardless of economic status.

As Forret makes apparent, colonial-era flexibility in race relations never entirely disappeared despite the institutionalization of slavery and the growing rigidity of color lines. His book offers a complex and nuanced picture of the shadowy world of slave?poor white interactions, demanding a refined understanding and new appreciation of the range of interracial associations in the Old South.

Contents

  • Acknowledgments p. vii
  • Abbreviations p. xi
  • Introduction p. 1
  • Chapter 1 The Social World of Slaves and Poor Whites: Work, Leisure, and Perception p. 20
  • Chapter 2 The Underground Economy p. 74
  • Chapter 3 Poor White Roles in Slave Control and Slave Resistance p. 115
  • Chapter 4 A Masculine Subculture of Violence p. 157
  • Chapter 5 The Double Standard: Sex and Sexual Violence p. 184
  • Epilogue p. 223
  • Bibliography p. 233
  • Index p. 263

Other details