Description
This 1998 book presents a rigorous, compelling economic analysis of the common law of Southern slavery, inspecting thousands of legal disputes.
Reviews
"In The Bondsman's Burden, Jenny Wahl provides and insightful look at the antebellum South's legal system and how southern judges fashioned a jurisprudence of slavery vital to preserving the economic vitality of the institution. In affording this insight, Wahl also supplies an important look at the role of legal rules in the development and maintenance of economic institutions and processes." William and Mary Quarterly
"Wahl has written a splendid and comprehensive analysis of the common law of slavery." Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"...scholars of slavery and of the law will find this an original and thought-provoking work." American Historical Review
"This book is highly recommended." The Journal of the Early Republic
"With its succinct case analyses and its willingness to apply economic and legal perspectives to an important problem in North American history, The Bondsman's Burden is sure to provoke discussion among historians, legal experts, and economists." Dylan C. Penningroth, Labor History
"Wahl has written an important book. She has reviewed an enormous number of appellate cases and has suggest that was a difference between rules relating to slaves and other persons. Her evidence implies that southern law, because of slavery, was affected by economic values, one of which was that slave property should receive special protection." Law & History Review Fall 01
Book Information
ISBN 9780521521383
Author Jenny Bourne Wahl
Format Paperback
Page Count 292
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 430g
Dimensions(mm) 217mm * 169mm * 20mm