Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines slave ownership by Virginia institutions such as the Anglican and Presbyterian churches, free schools, and four universities. It also examines the use of slave labor by businesses and the Commonwealth of Virginia in various industrial endeavors.
Trade Review'An important study that breaks new ground - with rich detail and sophisticated analysis - on the institutional ownership of slaves in the American South. Oast's depiction of how churches and colleges utilized slaves is especially revealing, as is her discussion of how slaves fared under non-personal ownership. A significant contribution to scholarship on slavery.' John B. Boles, Rice University, Houston
'This is the most comprehensive study yet of institutional as opposed to plantation slavery in the Old Dominion. It implicates churches and educational establishments as well as businesses in the most impersonal and often least caring form of slavery and shows how even the poorest of non-slave-holding whites benefited from it.' Daniel C. Littlefield, University of South Carolina
'Institutional Slavery represents a thought-provoking intervention in the literature on the evolution of slavery and paternalism in Virginia …' Kirt von Daacke, History of Education Quarterly
'Institutional Slavery will surely aid these worthwhile efforts by providing essential historical context and a model for further research.' Adam Rothman, Journal of Social History
'Institutional Slavery is recommended for use in both undergraduate and graduate classes. While it sheds light on the treatment of enslaved African Americans and on their everyday lives, it also illuminates the nature of ownership. … [the book] provides insights into previously understudied aspects of slavery in the making of American society.' Marne L. Campbell, The Journal of African American History
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. 'Unlawful for any Christian': slave-owning Anglican churches in Virginia; 2. 'The legacies of well inclin'd gentlemen': slave-owning free schools in Virginia; 3. 'The worst kind of slavery': slave-owning Presbyterian churches in Virginia; 4. 'So large a family as the college': slavery at the College of William and Mary; 5. 'Faithful and valuable': slavery at Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Virginia, and Hollins College; 6. 'To make a trifle for themselves': industries as institutional slaveholders; Conclusion.
