An Old Creed for the New South: Proslavery Ideology and Historiography, 1865-1918: 89 (Contributions in Afro-american & African Studies) - Hardcover

"An Old Creed for the New South is a most thoughtful study of the emerging interpretations of antebellum slavery in the immediate post-Civil War period and in the historical literature in the first half-century after emancipation. The analysis of the major (and minor) historians who helped shape the historical study of slavery--from Holst to Philips--shows the relationships among the uncovering of new sources, the asking of particular questions, and the beliefs of individual scholars. Based upon extensive research in a wide variety of sources, John David Smith has demonstrated how post-Civil War descriptions of the slave experience by southerners and northerners, by blacks and whites reflected (and, in turn, influenced) contemporary concerns about southern and racial issues. Smith's examination of the writings of contemporaries and historians is an important contribution to the study of slavery and emancipation, as well as a major work of historiographic analysis."-Stanley L. Engerman, Professor of Economics and History, University of Rochester "Smith...has produced a heavily researched and clearly written survey of pro- and antislavery American writings from Appomattox to Versailles. The first three chapters outline the slavery debate from 1865 to the end of the century, and include the arguments of former slaves, slave-holders, Freedmen's Bureau agents, novelists, and essayists. Smith demonstrates that the debate over slavery continued unabated, despite its legal death in 1865. Chapters 4 through 8 describe the rise of professional historians in the late 1800s and examine their increasingly sophisticated research. Despite advances in methodology and research, professional scholars are divided into the same two basic groups as earlier writers--those who were sympathetic to slavery and those who denounced it...Detailed chapter notes, adequate index, bibliography of manuscripts only."-CHOICE ?Smith...has produced a heavily researched and clearly written survey of pro- and antislavery American writings from Appomattox to Versailles. The first three chapters outline the slavery debate from 1865 to the end of the century, and include the arguments of former slaves, slave-holders, Freedmen's Bureau agents, novelists, and essayists. Smith demonstrates that the debate over slavery continued unabated, despite its legal death in 1865. Chapters 4 through 8 describe the rise of professional historians in the late 1800s and examine their increasingly sophisticated research. Despite advances in methodology and research, professional scholars are divided into the same two basic groups as earlier writers--those who were sympathetic to slavery and those who denounced it...Detailed chapter notes, adequate index, bibliography of manuscripts only.?-CHOICE ?An Old Creed for the New South is a most thoughtful study of the emerging interpretations of antebellum slavery in the immediate post-Civil War period and in the historical literature in the first half-century after emancipation. The analysis of the major (and minor) historians who helped shape the historical study of slavery--from Holst to Philips--shows the relationships among the uncovering of new sources, the asking of particular questions, and the beliefs of individual scholars. Based upon extensive research in a wide variety of sources, John David Smith has demonstrated how post-Civil War descriptions of the slave experience by southerners and northerners, by blacks and whites reflected (and, in turn, influenced) contemporary concerns about southern and racial issues. Smith's examination of the writings of contemporaries and historians is an important contribution to the study of slavery and emancipation, as well as a major work of historiographic analysis.?-Stanley L. Engerman, Professor of Economics and History, University of Rochester

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