Description: Wilma Dunaway breaks new ground by focusing on slave experiences on small plantations in the Upper South. She argues that the region was not buffered from the political, economic, and social impacts of enslavement simply because it was characterized by low black population density and small slaveholdings. Dunaway pinpoints several indicators that distinguished Mountain South enslavement from the Lower South, by drawing on a massive statistical data base derived from antebellum census manuscripts and county tax records of 215 counties in nine states, slaveholder manuscripts, and regional slave narratives.
Review Quotes: "Slavery in the American Mountain South is a useful contribution to Appalachian Studies. It breaks new ground in many ways, and it enriches the old ground it covers. The author's industry is impressive and her ambition to dominate the next generation of slavery studies in Appalachia is likely to be realize." Appalachian Journal