Slavery and freedom must always be understood in context, and the appropriate context in the Old South was liberal capitalism, historian Oakes argues in five telescopic essays. Weaving an interpretive synthesis, he fixes on slavery's problematic relationships in a dynamic economy and polity moving with revolutionary power to define freedom with an ever-increasing universalism that the Old South selectively embraced and eschewed. Oakes's powerful little book surges with fresh rejoinders to much of the most important work on the nature of slavery, the South, and the American nation.--Highly recommended.-- Thomas J. Davis, Univ. at Buffalo, N.Y. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly Review
In a rich, challenging set of interpretive essays, Oakes ( The Ruling Race ) views slavery in the Old South as a product of liberal capitalism, yet an institution wholly at odds with liberal concepts of freedom and society. He demonstrates how slavery hindered the growth of a class of independent small farmers; how the master-slave relationship affected the fabric of every other relationship in the South; how violence, sexual abuse, personal degradation and the breakup of families were basic components of the slave system. A historian at Northwestern University, Oakes shows that slave resistance during the Civil War fostered the Confederacy's internal collapse--a phenomenon slighted by most historians. The concluding chapter traces the postwar emergence of a new landlord-merchant class that wielded political power against landless Southerners, black and white. Oakes's rewarding synthesis strips away myths and misconceptions surrounding slavery and its aftermath. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
CHOICE Review
Once again a reputable American historian approaches a long-recognized paradox of the institution of slavery in the land of the free. In doing so, Oakes not only develops the idea of capitalism as a major factor in slaveholding, but also introduces the more confounding interpretation of the South's capacity to integrate slavery and democracy in the ante bellum period. Once the Industrial Revolution reached the US, an increased demand for consumer goods and the price of slaves became interrelated. Politics, North and South, also became a major factor in the debates over slavery as it would be again in debates over the freedmen in the postwar years. Oakes also compares slavery in this country to that elsewhere in the world and in other eras. The study closes with a chapter on slavery/freedom as it has to do with the "meaning of the Civil War." Older scholars must read this material carefully so as to understand that it is not just one more bash of Ulrich B. Phillips. Very worthwhile notes. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -D. E. Everett, Trinity University
Booklist Review
While there have been countless books on slavery in America, Oakes' volume takes a significantly different approach in its discussion of the issue within political and economic contexts. Traditionally, history has been written from the perspective of those in power--the power that emanates from financial and political status--Oakes reminds us, and the reason "emancipation did not settle the meaning of the Civil War" is that, after it, land ownership remained the most significant factor in the economy and labor market. Hence, freed slaves and sharecroppers lacked the financial wherewithal to forge political bases. Within his analysis of slavery and liberal capitalism, Oakes offers critical judgment of earlier studies, showing how the power of landowners and merchants altered the course of history and affected the views of historians. He also points out that some Southern writers were simply intent on whitewashing the truth. A relatively brief yet erudite volume, packed with provocative thoughts on the writing of history. Notes; to be indexed. --Denise Perry Donavin
