Title
Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South (Cambridge Studies on the American South),Used
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Analyzing land policy, labor, and legal history, Keri Leigh Merritt reveals what happens to excess workers when a capitalist system is predicated on slave labor. With the rising global demand for cotton and thus, slaves in the 1840s and 1850s, the need for white laborers in the American South was drastically reduced, creating a large underclass who were unemployed or underemployed. These poor whites could not compete for jobs or living wages with profitable slave labor. Though impoverished whites were never subjected to the daily violence and degrading humiliations of racial slavery, they did suffer tangible socio economic consequences as a result of living in a slave society. Merritt examines how these 'masterless' men and women threatened the existing Southern hierarchy and ultimately helped push Southern slaveholders toward secession and civil war.***Winner of the 2018 Bennett H. Wall Award, from the Southern Historical Association, for the best book published in the previous two years on southern business or economic history.***Winner of the 2018 President's Book Award, from the Social Science History Association, awarded annually to a first work by an early career scholar.
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- Q: What is the main focus of 'Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South'? A: The book analyzes the impact of a capitalist system reliant on slave labor on poor white individuals in the Antebellum South. It explores how this system created a large underclass of unemployed or underemployed white laborers.
- Q: Who is the author of this book? A: The author is Keri Leigh Merritt, a scholar recognized for her work on Southern economic history.
- Q: What are the key themes discussed in the book? A: Key themes include land policy, labor relations, legal history, and the socio-economic consequences faced by poor whites in a slave society.
- Q: How many pages does the book have? A: The book contains 371 pages.
- Q: What edition of the book is available? A: The available edition is a reprint.
- Q: When was 'Masterless Men' published? A: The book was published on December 14, 2017.
- Q: What recognition has the book received? A: It won the 2018 Bennett H. Wall Award and the 2018 President's Book Award for its contributions to Southern economic history.
- Q: Is this book suitable for academic research? A: Yes, the book is well-researched and provides valuable insights into economic history, making it suitable for academic purposes.
- Q: What is the condition of the book? A: The book is listed as new.
- Q: In which category is this book classified? A: The book is classified under Economic History.