Double character : slavery and mastery in the antebellum southern courtroom /
Gross looks at the stories about white and black character that witnesses and litigants put forth in court. She not only reveals the role of law in constructing "race" but also offers a portrait of the culture of slavery, one that addresses historical debates about law, honor, and commerce...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Princeton, N.J. :
Princeton University Press,
c2000.
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| Online Access: | Table of contents Publisher description Book review (H-Net) Table of contents Inhaltsverzeichnis |
| Summary: | Gross looks at the stories about white and black character that witnesses and litigants put forth in court. She not only reveals the role of law in constructing "race" but also offers a portrait of the culture of slavery, one that addresses historical debates about law, honor, and commerce in the American South." "Gross maintains that witnesses and litigants drew on narratives available in the culture at large to explain the nature and origins of slaves' character, such as why slaves became runaways. But the legal process also shaped their expressions of racial ideology by favoring certain explanations over others. Double Character brings to life the law as a dramatic ritual in people's daily lives, looking at trials from the perspective of litigants, lawyers, doctors, and the slaves themselves. The author's approach combines the methods of cultural anthropology, quantitative social history, and critical race theory."--Jacket. |
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| Physical Description: | xi, 263 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (p. [231]-250) and index. |
| ISBN: | 0691059578 9780691059570 |