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Black Litigants in the Antebellum American South Kimberly M. Welch

Black Litigants in the Antebellum American South By Kimberly M. Welch

Black Litigants in the Antebellum American South by Kimberly M. Welch


Summary

Based on new research conducted in courthouse basements and storage sheds in rural Mississippi and Louisiana, Kimberly Welch draws on over 1,000 examples of free and enslaved black litigants who used the courts to protect their interests and reconfigure their place in a tense society.

Black Litigants in the Antebellum American South Summary

Black Litigants in the Antebellum American South by Kimberly M. Welch

In the antebellum Natchez district, in the heart of slave country, black people sued white people in all-white courtrooms. They sued to enforce the terms of their contracts, recover unpaid debts, recuperate back wages, and claim damages for assault. They sued in conflicts over property and personal status. And they often won. Based on new research conducted in courthouse basements and storage sheds in rural Mississippi and Louisiana, Kimberly Welch draws on over 1,000 examples of free and enslaved black litigants who used the courts to protect their interests and reconfigure their place in a tense society.

To understand their success, Welch argues that we must understand the language that they used--the language of property, in particular--to make their claims recognizable and persuasive to others and to link their status as owner to the ideal of a free, autonomous citizen. In telling their stories, Welch reveals a previously unknown world of black legal activity, one that is consequential for understanding the long history of race, rights, and civic inclusion in America.

Black Litigants in the Antebellum American South Reviews

A remarkably well-researched and truly startling history. - Journal of American History

About Kimberly M. Welch

Kimberly M. Welch is assistant professor of history and law at Vanderbilt University.

Additional information

NGR9781469659152
9781469659152
1469659158
Black Litigants in the Antebellum American South by Kimberly M. Welch
New
Paperback
The University of North Carolina Press
2020-02-01
328
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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