Wiley-Blackwell The Old South (Wiley Blackwell Readers in American Social and Cultural History)

The Old South is a collection of primary documents and previously published essays introducing students to recent themes found in scholarship on the social and cultural history of the Old South. The documents are drawn directly from the essays not only to vividly illustrate the events, but also to show students how historians construct arguments based on archival evidence. Smith introduces the collection with a detailed essay, and provides study questions, suggestions for further reading, a map, and a chronology of significant events creating a highly useful student-friendly reader. Review This is an exceptionally well-conceived and well-executed collection of documents and scholarly essays. Mark Smith deserves high marks for at once presenting and recasting the antebellum South in bold and original ways. The Old South is absolutely first-rate." Peter Coclanis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"This book provides an excellent introduction to the study of the antebellum South, covering the salient topics in the region's economic, political, and cultural history. Mark Smith's essay on the historiography is elegant and informative, and his choice of readings is judicious. Undergraduates will learn a great deal from this volume, and it is perfectly suited for course adoption." Joan E. Cashin, author of Our Common Affairs: Texts from Women in the Old South From the Inside Flap This collection of primary documents and previously published essays introduces students to the principal themes in recent scholarship on the social and cultural history of the Old South. The twelve essays cover a variety of topics including the relative modernity of the Old South, the proslavery defense of servitude, gender relations, southern honor and violence, the slave trade, the slaves' economy and community, and the histories of southern women - both black and white. The documents - including court cases, personal letters, diaries, travel accounts, newspaper stories, advertisements, and slave narratives - have been drawn directly from the essay sources in order to illustrate how historians construct arguments. Smith provides a detailed main introduction to the collection to help students situate the readings and documents within the larger context of the antebellum South. In addition, there are brief introductions to each document and essay, study questions, suggestions for further reading, a map, and a chronology of significant events. From the Back Cover This collection of primary documents and previously published essays introduces students to the principal themes in recent scholarship on the social and cultural history of the Old South. The twelve essays cover a variety of topics including the relative modernity of the Old South, the proslavery defense of servitude, gender relations, southern honor and violence, the slave trade, the slaves' economy and community, and the histories of southern women - both black and white. The documents - including court cases, personal letters, diaries, travel accounts, newspaper stories, advertisements, and slave narratives - have been drawn directly from the essay sources in order to illustrate how historians construct arguments. Smith provides a detailed main introduction to the collection to help students situate the readings and documents within the larger context of the antebellum South. In addition, there are brief introductions to each document and essay, study questions, suggestions for further reading, a map, and a chronology of significant events. About the Author Mark M. Smith is Associate Professor of History at the University of South Carolina. He previously taught at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. He is the author of Mastered by the Clock: Time, Slavery, and Freedom in the American South (1997) and Debating Slavery: Economy and Society in the Antebellum American South (1998).