Families in Crisis in the Old South

Divorce, Slavery, and the Law

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century, Gender Studies, Women&
Cover of the book Families in Crisis in the Old South by Loren Schweninger, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Loren Schweninger ISBN: 9780807837504
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: September 10, 2012
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Loren Schweninger
ISBN: 9780807837504
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: September 10, 2012
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In the antebellum South, divorce was an explosive issue. As one lawmaker put it, divorce was to be viewed as a form of "madness," and as another asserted, divorce reduced communities to the "lowest ebb of degeneracy." How was it that in this climate, the number of divorces rose steadily during the antebellum era? In Families in Crisis in the Old South, Loren Schweninger uses previously unexplored records to argue that the difficulties these divorcing families faced reveal much about the reality of life in a slave-holding society as well as the myriad difficulties confronted by white southern families who chose not to divorce.
Basing his argument on almost 800 divorce cases from the southern United States, Schweninger explores the impact of divorce and separation on white families and on the enslaved and provides insights on issues including domestic violence, interracial adultery, alcoholism, insanity, and property relations. He examines how divorce and separation laws changed, how married women's property rights expanded, how definitions of inhuman treatment of wives evolved, and how these divorces challenged conventional mores.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the antebellum South, divorce was an explosive issue. As one lawmaker put it, divorce was to be viewed as a form of "madness," and as another asserted, divorce reduced communities to the "lowest ebb of degeneracy." How was it that in this climate, the number of divorces rose steadily during the antebellum era? In Families in Crisis in the Old South, Loren Schweninger uses previously unexplored records to argue that the difficulties these divorcing families faced reveal much about the reality of life in a slave-holding society as well as the myriad difficulties confronted by white southern families who chose not to divorce.
Basing his argument on almost 800 divorce cases from the southern United States, Schweninger explores the impact of divorce and separation on white families and on the enslaved and provides insights on issues including domestic violence, interracial adultery, alcoholism, insanity, and property relations. He examines how divorce and separation laws changed, how married women's property rights expanded, how definitions of inhuman treatment of wives evolved, and how these divorces challenged conventional mores.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Sound of Navajo Country by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Mary Breckinridge by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book The Gift of the Face by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Depression Folk by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Dred by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Hard, Hard Religion by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Carolina del Norte: Geographies of Latinization in the South by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Exchanging Our Country Marks by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Freedom for Themselves by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Southeastern Geographer by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Psychology and Selfhood in the Segregated South by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book British and American Commercial Relations with Soviet Russia, 1918-1924 by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Rethinking Aging by Loren Schweninger
Cover of the book Blackbeard's Sunken Prize by Loren Schweninger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy