Complexion of Empire in Natchez: Race and Slavery in the Mississippi Borderlands (Early American Places Ser., 23)

Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title 6 Copyright 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 18 1 The Purity of Blood and Dark Complexions: French Empire Building in the Lower Mississippi Valley 36 2 English Bloodlines and the Expansion of Empire: Natchez 1763 to 1779 66 3 Masters of Complexion? Loyalists, Patriots, and Opportunists in the Colonial Backcountry 91 4 Spanish Complexions in the Lower Mississippi Valley: Making Race in Natchez 121 5 Gendered Complexions: Freedom and Interracial Relationships in Spanish Natchez 143 6 New Crop, New Rules of Complexion: From Prince Tobacco to King Cotton 175 7 Mississippi Fever: Fortifying the "Malignant Empire" of Complexion 200 Conclusion 232 Notes 242 Bibliography 294 Index 320 A 320 B 320 C 321 D 322 E 322 F 323 G 323 H 323 I 323 J 323 K 324 L 324 M 325 N 325 O 326 P 326 R 326 S 326 T 327 U 327 V 327 W 327 Y 327

In Complexion of Empire in Natchez, Christian Pinnen examines slavery in the colonial South, using a variety of legal records and archival documents to investigate how bound labor contributed to the establishment and subsequent control of imperial outposts in colonial North America. He examines the dynamic and multifaceted development of slavery in the colonial South and reconstructs the relationships among aspiring enslavers, natives, struggling colonial administrators, and African laborers, as well as the links between slavery and the westward expansion of the American Republic.

By placing Natchez at the focal point, this book reveals the unexplored tensions among the enslaved, enslavers, and empires across the plantation complex. Most important, Complexion of Empire in Natchez highlights the effect that different conceptions of racial complexions had on the establishment of plantations and how competing ideas about race strongly influenced the governance of plantation colonies.

The location of the Natchez District enables a unique study of British, Spanish, and American legal systems, how enslaved people and natives navigated them, and the consequences of imperial shifts in a small liminal space. The differing—and competing—conceptions of racial complexion in the lower Mississippi Valley would strongly influence the governance of plantation colonies and the hierarchies of race in colonial Natchez. Complexion of Empire in Natchez thus broadens the historical discourse on slavery’s development by including the lower Mississippi Valley as a site of inquiry.

In Complexion of Empire in Natchez, Christian Pinnenexamines slavery in the colonial South, using a variety of legalrecords and archival documents to investigate how bound laborcontributed to the establishment and subsequent control of imperialoutposts in colonial North America. He examines the dynamic andmultifaceted development of slavery in the colonial South andreconstructs the relationships among aspiring enslavers, natives,struggling colonial administrators, and African laborers, as wellas the links between slavery and the westward expansion of theAmerican Republic. By placing Natchez at the focal point, this bookreveals the unexplored tensions among the enslaved, enslavers, andempires across the plantation complex. Most important,Complexion of Empire in Natchez highlights the effect thatdifferent conceptions of racial complexions had on theestablishment of plantations and how competing ideas about racestrongly influenced the governance of plantation colonies. Thelocation of the Natchez District enables a unique study of British,Spanish, and American legal systems, how enslaved people andnatives navigated them, and the consequences of imperial shifts ina small liminal space. The differing-and competing-conceptions ofracial complexion in the lower Mississippi Valley would stronglyinfluence the governance of plantation colonies and the hierarchiesof race in colonial Natchez. Complexion of Empire inNatchez thus broadens the historical discourse on slavery'sdevelopment by including the lower Mississippi Valley as a site ofinquiry.

In Complexion of Empire in Natchez , Christian Pinnen examines slavery in the colonial South, using a variety of legal records and archival documents to investigate how bound labor contributed to the establishment and subsequent control of imperial outposts in colonial North America. He examines the dynamic and multifaceted development of slavery in the colonial South and reconstructs the relationships among aspiring enslavers, natives, struggling colonial administrators, and African laborers, as well as the links between slavery and the westward expansion of the American Republic. By placing Natchez at the focal point, this book reveals the unexplored tensions among the enslaved, enslavers, and empires across the plantation complex. Most important, Complexion of Empire in Natchez highlights the effect that different conceptions of racial complexions had on the establishment of plantations and how competing ideas about race strongly influenced the governance of plantation colonies. The location of the Natchez District enables a unique study of British, Spanish, and American legal systems, how enslaved people and natives navigated them, and the consequences of imperial shifts in a small liminal space. The differing―and competing―conceptions of racial complexion in the lower Mississippi Valley would strongly influence the governance of plantation colonies and the hierarchies of race in colonial Natchez. Complexion of Empire in Natchez thus broadens the historical discourse on slavery’s development by including the lower Mississippi Valley as a site of inquiry. In "Complexion of empire in Natchez", Christian Pinnen examines slavery in the colonial South, using a variety of legal records and archival documents to investigate how bound labor contributed to the establishment and subsequent control of imperial outposts in colonial North America. He examines the dynamic and multifaceted development of slavery in the colonial South and reconstructs the relationships among aspiring enslavers, natives, struggling colonial administrators, and African laborers, as well as the links between slavery and the westward expansion of the American Republic. By placing Natchez at the focal point, this book reveals the unexplored tensions among the enslaved, enslavers, and empires across the plantation complex. Most important, Complexion of Empire in Natchez highlights the effect that different conceptions of racial complexions had on the establishment of plantations and how competing ideas about race strongly influenced the governance of plantation colonies. The location of the Natchez District enables a unique study of British, Spanish, and American legal systems, how enslaved people and natives navigated them, and the consequences of imperial shifts in a small liminal space. The differing, and competing, conceptions of racial complexion in the lower Mississippi Valley would strongly influence the governance of plantation colonies and the hierarchies of race in colonial Natchez. Complexion of Empire in Natchez thus broadens the historical discourse on slavery's development by including the lower Mississippi Valley as a site of inquiry Examines slavery in the colonial South, using a variety of legal records and archival documents to investigate how bound labour contributed to the establishment and subsequent control of imperial outposts in colonial North America.