Unification of a Slave State The Rise of the Planter Class in the South Carolina Backcountry, 1760-1808

Author/creator Klein, Rachel N. Author
Format Electronic
Publication InfoChapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press
Description344 p. ill 09.250 x 06.125 in.
Supplemental ContentFull text available from Ebook Central - Academic Complete
Subjects

SeriesPublished for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia Ser.
Summary Annotation This book describes the turbulent transformation of South Carolina from a colony rent by sectional conflict into a state dominated by the South's most unified and politically powerful planter leadership. Rachel Klein unravels the sources of conflict and growing unity, showing how a deep commitment to slavery enabled leaders from both low- and backcountry to define the terms of political and ideological compromise.The spread of cotton into the backcountry, often invoked as the reason for South Carolina's political unification, actually concluded a complex struggle for power and legitimacy. Beginning with the Regulator Uprising of the 1760s, Klein demonstrates how backcountry leaders both gained authority among yeoman constituents and assumed a powerful role within state government. By defining slavery as the natural extension of familial inequality, backcountry ministers strengthened the planter class. At the same time, evangelical religion, like the backcountry's dominant political language, expressed yet contained the persisting tensions between planters and yeomen.Klein weaves social, political, and religious history into a formidable account of planter class formation and southern frontier development.
Access restrictionAvailable only to authorized users.
Technical detailsMode of access: World Wide Web
Genre/formElectronic books.
LCCN 89016684
ISBN9780807843697
ISBN0807843695 (Trade Paper) Active Record
Standard identifier# 9780807843697
Stock number00027332