Slavery and The University

Foner, Eric. A Short History of Reconstruction, 1863-1877. Harper Perennial: 1990. 

            A Short History of Reconstruction is a monograph detailing the Reconstruction period from 1863-1877. Foner takes the time to redefine the Reconstruction period and expands on the ways of which the populations of the newly reunited country were impacted following the Civil War. Foner addresses the elite crowd, whites, and freed Black individuals' experiences. Organized chronologically, this book investigates the journey to economic and social independence of the freed-people, with an emphasis on the transition from enslavement to employment and race-based politics. Foner uses verbal testimonies, newspaper clippings, and other scholarly pieces.

DuBois, W. E. B. Black Reconstruction in America. Scribner: 1935.

            Reconstruction in America is a revisionist history that seeks to refocus the conversation of the Reconstruction in America on the Black man and his struggles. Organized geographically, specific Confederate states are highlighted in a chapter. DuBois studies Reconstruction through a legal lens to change the narrative of the impact that the Civil War left. Utilizing newspapers, legislation, and other post-War legal documents.  

Joyner, Charles. Down by Riverside. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1984. 

                 Down by the Riverside is a monograph that is a close study of a plantation system on a river in South Carolina. In chapter two, “All Dem Rice Fields,” part twelve, Joyner discusses the “hiring of slaves.” He explains that the slaves were still under the jurisdiction of their enslaver, but they were simply working off their plantation on a secondary project.

Stampp, Kenneth M. The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Antebellum South. New York: Vintage Books, 1956.

                  The Peculiar Institution is a monograph that examines the system of enslavement in the American South before the Civil War. Stampp has organized the book thematically by examining the type of work, stages of life, and dissects what it meant to be enslaved. While Stampp talks about the hiring-out of slaves, chapter five (“Chattels Personal”) will be most relevant to the researcher. In this chapter, Stampp notes that the enslaved person is at the disposal of the enslaver. Therefore, it was within the jurisdiction of the enslaver to hire-out or rent out their enslaved peoples.

Fogel, Robert William and Engerman, Stanley L. Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1974.

                  Time on the Cross is a monograph that takes a closer look at the system of enslavement through an economic lens. The authors have organized their work by laying an approximate timeline, offering a comparison of expectations, and then breaking down the relative gains from the work done by the enslaved. Chapters one through three offer the most information on the renting of slaves. Similar to their general lens, the renting of the enslaved is put in the perspective of the enslaver gains. However, the idea of renting the enslaved is seen several times throughout the book.  

Genovese, Eugene D. “Book Three: The Valley of the Shadow,” in Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made. New York: Vintage Books, 1976.

                  Roll, Jordan, Roll is a monograph written by Eugene D. Genovese that takes an agency-driven, social, and religious aspect to the study of American enslavement. It is divided up into three books, which tackle several different themes of slavery. However, Book Three: The Valley of the Shadow centers more around the life of the enslaved and their culture and work. Genovese discusses the impact of the hiring-out system on the enslaved and what that meant for their work.

Hutchins, Harry S. and Hutchins, Brian. Slave Badges and the Slave Hire System in Charleston, South Carolina 1783-1865. McFarland and Company, 2008.

                  Slave Badges and the Slave Hire System is a monograph that introduces the renting and badge system in Charleston, South Carolina from 1783 to 1865. During this time, enslavers in Charleston, South Carolina utilized the identification system via badges while the enslaved were on “loan” off the plantation. The authors investigate the function of the badges, enforcement, and the economic impact. Hutchins and Hutchins utilize material culture, financial statements, and laws that were passed and enforced for the hiring process.

Jones, Jacqueline. Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow. Basic Books, 1985.

                  Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow is a monograph that discusses the transition from enslavement to freedom for women. Jones presents the Black female as the epicenter for the families, as she is providing for the family. Throughout the book, the struggle of the Black woman is highlighted as the shift from enslavement to paid labor is experienced.

Powers, Bernard. Black Charlestonians. Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press, 1994.

                  Black Charlestonians is a revisionist monograph that attempts to rewrite the narrative about post-War and freedom for the Black population in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston was known as the cradle of the Confederacy, so the city earned the spot of the location of the book. Powers discusses several figures who played a vital role in the social and economic sphere of the newly freedmen.