Masters, Slaves, and Exchange - Power''s Purchase in the Old South

This book examines the political economy of the master-slave relationship viewed through the lens of consumption and market exchange.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. Money and moralism; 2. Slaves and spending; 3. Servants served; 4. Black markets; 5. Gilt chains; 6. The choice; Conclusion.

About the author

Kathleen M. Hilliard is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Iowa State University. She received her BA from Wake Forest University and her PhD from the University of South Carolina, where she worked under the direction of Mark M. Smith and won the Wienefeld Award for the best dissertation in history. Since 2006 she has studied and taught about the Old South, slavery, and the social and cultural contradictions of antebellum America at the University of Idaho and Iowa State University. Portions of her work have been published in major essay collections and presented in scholarly meetings in the United States, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. She has served on the Editorial Board for Agricultural History and Gale/Cengage's 'Slavery and Anti-Slavery' digital history project.

Summary

This book examines the political economy of the master-slave relationship viewed through the lens of consumption and market exchange. What did it mean when human chattel bought commodities, 'stole' property, or gave and received gifts? Forgotten exchanges, this study argues, measured the deepest questions of worth and value, shaping an enduring struggle for power between slaves and masters.

Product details

• Authors: Kathleen Hilliard, Kathleen M. Hilliard, Kathleen M. (Iowa State University) Hilliard, Hilliard Kathleen M.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.12.2013
• EAN: 9781107636644
• ISBN: 978-1-107-63664-4
• No. of pages: 226
• Series: Cambridge Studies on the American South; Cambridge Studies on the Ameri; Cambridge Studies on the Ameri; Cambridge Studies on the American South
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Business > Management; History, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, Economic history, c 1500 onwards to present day, History of the Americas, Slavery and abolition of slavery, US South: South Atlantic States