Synopses & Reviews
Rich in tradition, the southern portion of the United States has provided the backdrop for some of the most significant historical events in American history.
The South Through Time offers an inclusive, interpretative account, providing a comprehensive examination that places in context major events including the rise of slavery and the Civil War without neglecting the overall contours of southern history.
John B. Boles synthesizes recent scholarship to present the latest accepted interpretation on topics such as the original Native American inhabitants; initial European exploration and settlement; the origins of the different colonies; the evolution of slavery and the plantation system; the South's role in the creation of the new nation; the rise of southern distinctness; the role of women; the nature f the antebellum society, economy, and culture; the role of religion; southern politics; the growth of sectionalism and the causes of secession; and the tragedy of the Civil War.
The third edition incorporates the most recent scholarship, contains more illustrative examples, and updates the bibliographical suggestions. As with earlier editions, much attention is given to Native Americans, women, African Americans, and the plain folk, and the overall interpretation emphasizes social and cultural history as well as economic and political. Written in clear, elegant prose, the book makes accessible to students a sophisticated analysis of the South's history.
Synopsis
Incorporating the enormous amount of very sophisticated revisionist scholarship that has appeared over the past 25 years, this book provides a consistent, overall reinterpretation of southern history -- pre-1607 to the end of the Civil War -- offering a less fact-filled, more narrative and more interpretative approach that expands the concept of southern history both chronologically and geographically. Reflects the author's first-hand familiarity with the newest scholarship -- as the editor of the Journal of Southern History and co-editor of a major study of southern historiography, Interpreting Southern History. Explains why things happened the way they did rather than just telling what happened. Tells more about the entire South -- not just the eastern seaboard. Features better, more extensive coverage of Indians, blacks, and women than earlier histories of the South. Offers insights gained by what is now called a gendered analysis. Introduces and explores new research on topics such as slavery and women's history. For anyone interested in the history of the South or Southern civilization.
Synopsis
This is a gracefully written narrative of the entire sweep of southern history, from the first settlement by Native Americans through the Civil War. The South Through Time is the most up-to-date, analytical, and stylishly written history of the region available on the market. Comprehensive, interpretive, and inclusive, with much attention given to politics, society, economics, culture, religion, women, and blacks, it offers a discussion of regional variation within the South and broadens its coverage beyond the traditional emphasis on the Atlantic seaboard states. Its comprehensive coverage of the history of the Southern U.S. makes this an appropriate reference work for writers and researchers.
Table of Contents
(NOTE:
Each volume ends with a section titled “A Guide to Further Reading.”)Volume I
I. THE SOUTHERN COLONIES. 1. A Continent Invaded.
2. A Tragedy in the Making.
3. Beyond the Chesapeake.
4. Colonial Societies.
II. THE NATIONAL SOUTH. 5. International Entanglements.
6. An Uneasy Peace.
7. A War on Three Fronts.
8. Southerners as Nation Builders.
9. Land, Cotton, and Religion.
10. Nationalism Triumphant and Threatened.
III. THE SOUTHERN NATION. 11. An Agricultural Economy.
12. Diversity in the Old South.
13. Beyond the White Patriarchy.
14. The Southern Way of Life.
15. The Seeds of Conflict.
16. The Intractability of the Slavery Issue.
17. And the War Came.
18. War So Terrible.
19. The Cause Lost.
Index.
Volume II
IV. THE COLONIAL SOUTH. 20. The Locus of Reconstruction.
21. Getting On With Life.
22. The Economic Tragedy of Reconstruction.
23. Old Verities Challenged.
24. Change With a Southern Accent.
25. Poverty and Race.
26. Cultural Riches in the Midst of Poverty.
27. New Directions in Southern Politics.
V. THE AMERICAN SOUTH. 28. The Dawning of a New South.
29. The Civil Rights Movement.
30. The Rise of the Republican Party.
31. Southern Democrats and the Nation.
32. Forever Southern.