Slavery

This study focuses on the drastic revisions in the historical debate on American slavery and the present understanding of "the peculiar institution." It gives a concise explanation of the nature of American slavery and its impact on the slaves themselves and on Southern society and culture.

Peter J. Parish

Preface -- The Paradoxical Institution: Complexity and Controversy -- The Making of an Institution -- The Labor of the Slaves -- The Business of Slavery -- The Lives of the Slaves -- Variations, Exceptions, and Comparisons -- Slavery and Southern White Society -- The Death Throes of Slavery -- Bibliographic Essay