Description
Demonstrating how crimes, convictions, and clemency functioned within a slave society that upheld the property interests of white Virginians, Nunley reveals the frequency with which owners preferred to keep the accused in bondage, which allowed them, behind the veil of paternalism, to continue to benefit from Black women's labor. This so-called clemency also sought to rob Black women of the power they exercised when they committed capital crimes. The testimonies that Nunley has collected and analyzed offer compelling glimpses of the self-identities forged by Black women as they attempted to resist enslavement and the limits of justice available to them in the antebellum courtroom.
About the Author
Tamika Y. Nunley is associate professor of history at Cornell University.
Reviews
The Demands of Justice, by delving into the lives of enslaved women who were accused of capital crimes, poses important questions about the nature of justice and clemency in antebellum Virginia. Anyone who is interested in the history of slavery, race, and gender in the Americas, legal history, or southern history should read this book."-Evan C. Rothera, The Civil War Monitor
Book Information
ISBN 9781469673127
Author Tamika Y. Nunley
Format Paperback
Page Count 258
Imprint The University of North Carolina Press
Publisher The University of North Carolina Press
Weight(grams) 272g