HD OLD SOUTH CB
Publication date:
15 November 2005Length of book:
544 pagesISBN-13: 9780810850743
Being considerably different from other regions of the country, most notably regarding its fervent practice of slavery, the land South of the Mason-Dixon line, because of slavery, enjoyed an exceptional prominence in politics, and after the invention of the cotton gin, a high degree of prosperity. However, also because of slavery, it was alienated from the rest of the nation, attempted to secede from the union, and was forced back in only after it lost the Civil War. Numerous cross-referenced entries on prominent individuals, including Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Robert E. Lee, and Abraham Lincoln, as well as others on policies of the time that have since slipped into oblivion are all covered in this book. Economic, social and religious backgrounds trace the seemingly inevitable path to secession, war and defeat. This reference also includes an introductory essay, a chronology and a bibliography of the epoch.
An excellent addition to academic and public libraries' history and political science collections. American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) 20070801 Recommended. CHOICE Historical Dictionary of the Old South is a solidly researched and written work, recommended for public and undergraduate collections where the Old South is a high-demand subject. Booklist 20060501 This reference contains hundreds of detailed, alphabetically arranged entries on various aspects of the Old South, including prominent individuals, crucial events, and economic and social features. A sampling of topics includes the Louisiana Purchase, the cotton gin, Daniel Webster, and runaway slaves. Richter also presents an historical overview in the introduction, along with an extensive chronology. Supplemental materials found in the appendix include the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (1781) and the 1860 U.S. Constitution. Independent scholar Richter, who holds a PhD from Louisiana State U., is also the author of Historical Dictionary of the Civil War and Reconstruction (Scarecrow, 2004). Reference and Research Book News