Jefferson's Freeholders and the Politics of Ownership in the Old Dominion (Paperback)

Jefferson's Freeholders and the Politics of Ownership in the Old Dominion explores the historical processes by which Virginia was transformed from a British colony into a Southern slave state. It focuses on changing conceptualizations of ownership and emphasizes the persistent influence of the English common law on Virginia's postcolonial political culture. The book explains how the traditional characteristics of land tenure became subverted by the dynamic contractual relations of a commercial economy and assesses the political consequences of the law reforms that were necessitated by these developments. Nineteenth-century reforms seeking to reconcile the common law with modern commercial practices embraced new democratic expressions about the economic and political power of labor, and thereby encouraged the idea that slavery was an essential element in sustaining republican government in Virginia. By the 1850s, the ownership of human property had replaced the ownership of land as the distinguishing basis for political power, with tragic consequences for the Old Dominion.

General

Imprint:	Cambridge UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Cambridge Studies on the American South
Release date:	May 2014
First published:	May 2014
Authors:	Christopher Michael Curtis
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	270
ISBN-13:	978-1-107-63967-6
Categories:	Books > Law > Jurisprudence & general issues > Legal history Books > Humanities > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political control & freedoms > Slavery & emancipation Books > History > American history > General Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Promotions
LSN:	1-107-63967-0
Barcode:	9781107639676

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