A good part of this you can read quite casually. The sections which you need to devote real attention to include, in chapter 4, pp. 72-81(note the chapter headings in the table of contents, p. x.), and pp. 91-99, and in chapter 5, pp. 97-101 and 117 to the end. I am not being entirely fair to your authors, but in this preliminary material I want to focus on the South's emerging sense of self, and less on the political aspects of its relationship to the nation as a whole. I am suggesting you do read all of it for the sake of continuity, but if you are a high-lighter, put your pen to work in the sections suggested.
Web research: Clicking on the illustration of the slave sale broadside to the right will bring you to an incredibly rich website chronical of the development of slavery in the United States. READ the secions up to 1700. Note the large number of links to further information and if at all possible follow some of them.
For Thursday, February 8
READ: in The American South,
Chapters 6 and 7, pp. 122-173
Three sections in chapter 6 are important to understand: these run from p. 140 to 144. In chapter 7, concentrate on pp. 158-159 and 165 to the end of the chapter. Read the rest for context. Looking ahead, you'll notice that the next five chapters are topical rather than chronological, and we'll be slowing down a bit to consider them. You might want to begin to read ahead.
Since the modern Civil Rights Movement, interest has grown in understanding the lives of slaves as well as the lives of the planter class. Clicking on the image above will bring you to a narrative which recounts the "living history" interpretation of the slave quarters at Carter's Grove Plantation by contemporary American Blacks.
Internet Research: We have mentoned the story of Jefferson's relationship with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings. In that story Jefferson's behavior is perhaps typical of many members of his social class. Click on the button above to reach a collection of documents relating to the story and the science which seems to have more or less settled the issue. Read at least
Report of the Monticello Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
Minority Report of the Monticello Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
Statement on the Report by TJMF President Daniel P. Jordan
"The Hemings-Jefferson Controversy: A Brief Account"
Jefferson's record on issues of race has led to a reassessment of his importance in American Culture. The Atlantic Monthly, a leading journal of opinion has published several articles assessing Jefferson. Three of these can be found by clicking on the buttons or pictures below. READ these by Thursday and come prepared to share your ideas on the issues involved.
