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OverviewIn the antebellum Natchez district, in the heart of slave country, black people sued white people in all-white courtrooms. They sued to enforce the terms of their contracts, recover unpaid debts, recuperate back wages, and claim damages for assault. They sued in conflicts over property and personal status. And they often won. Based on new research conducted in courthouse basements and storage sheds in rural Mississippi and Louisiana, Kimberly Welch draws on over 1,000 examples of free and enslaved black litigants who used the courts to protect their interests and reconfigure their place in a tense society. To understand their success, Welch argues that we must understand the language that they used--the language of property, in particular--to make their claims recognizable and persuasive to others and to link their status as owner to the ideal of a free, autonomous citizen. In telling their stories, Welch reveals a previously unknown world of black legal activity, one that is consequential for understanding the long history of race, rights, and civic inclusion in America. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Kimberly M. WelchPublisher: The University of North Carolina Press Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Weight: 0.333kg ISBN: 9781469659152ISBN 10: 1469659158 Pages: 328 Publication Date: 28 February 2020 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsReviews"A remarkably well-researched and truly startling history."" - Journal of American History" A remarkably well-researched and truly startling history. - Journal of American History Author InformationKimberly M. Welch is assistant professor of history and law at Vanderbilt University. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |