Southern Slavery and the Law, 1619-1860

by Thomas D. Morris

Description

This volume is the first comprehensive history of the evolving relationship between American slavery and the law from colonial times to the Civil War. As Thomas Morris clearly shows, racial slavery came to the English colonies as an institution without strict legal definitions or guidelines. Specifically, he demonstrates that there was no coherent body of law that dealt solely with slaves. Instead, more general legal rules concerning inheritance, mortgages, and transfers of property show more coexisted with laws pertaining only to slaves. According to Morris, southern lawmakers and judges struggled to reconcile a social order based on slavery with existing English common law (or, in Louisiana, with continental civil law.) Because much was left to local interpretation, laws varied between and even within states. In addition, legal doctrine often differed from local practice. And, as Morris reveals, in the decades leading up to the Civil War, tensions mounted between the legal culture of racial slavery and the competing demands of capitalism and evangelical Christianity. show less

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MsMixte 268 reviews

An in depth look at the laws of slavery in the colonies and United States up until 1860. One of the best books I've read on the subject, and certainly one of the most readable.

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Thomas D. Morris

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Studies in Legal History - UNC Press

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Canonical title: Southern Slavery and the Law, 1619-1860
Original publication date: 1996
Dedication: For Sally

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Languages: English
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Southern Slavery and the Law, 1619-1860

by Thomas D. Morris

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