Race and Schooling in the South, 1880-1950: An Economic History (National Bureau of Economic Research Series on Long-Term Factors in Economic Development)

The interrelation among race, schooling, and labor market opportunities of American blacks can help us make sense of the relatively poor economic status of blacks in contemporary society. The role of these factors in slavery and the economic consequences for blacks has received much attention, but the post-slave experience of blacks in the American economy has been less studied. To deepen our understanding of that experience, Robert A. Margo mines a wealth of newly available census data and school district records. By analyzing evidence concerning occupational discrimination, educational expenditures, taxation, and teachers' salaries, he clarifies the costs for blacks of post-slave segregation. "A concise, lucid account of the bases of racial inequality in the South between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights era. . . . Deserves the careful attention of anyone concerned with historical and contemporary race stratification."—Kathryn M. Neckerman, __Contemporary Sociology__ "Margo has produced an excellent study, which can serve as a model for aspiring cliometricians. To describe it as 'required reading' would fail to indicate just how important, indeed indispensable, the book will be to scholars interested in racial economic differences, past or present."—Robert Higgs, __Journal of Economic Literature__ "Margo shows that history is important in understanding present domestic problems; his study has significant implications for understanding post-1950s black economic development."—Joe M. Richardson, __Journal of American History__ This book is about the interrelationships among race, schooling, and labor market outcomes for men, principally in the United States' South, from the late 19th century to the mid-twentieth. The book seeks to deepen understanding of post-slave experience of blacks in the U.S. economy and the context it provided for changes in racial economic differences after World War II. By utilizing newly available census data and school district records, the volume analyzes evidence concerning occupational discrimination, educational expenditures, taxation, and teachers' salaries to clarify the cost for blacks of post-slave segregation. Titles of the eight chapters include: (1) "Two Explanations of Economic Progress"; (2) "Race and Schooling in the South: A Review of the Evidence"; (3) "The Political Economy of Segregated Schools: Explaining the U-Shaped Pattern"; (4) "'Teacher Salaries in Black and White': Pay Discrimination in the Southern Classroom"; (5) "The Impact of Separate-but-Equal"; (6) "The Competitive Dynamics of Racial Exclusion: Employment Segregation in the South, 1900 to 1950"; (7) "'To the Promised Land': Education and the Black Exodus"; and (8) "Conclusion: Race, Social Change, and the Labor Market." (Contains references and an index.) (EH) The difference in economic status between blacks and whites is one of the most pressing social issues in the contemporary United States. Robert A. Margo. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [135]-159) And Index.