The mind of the master class : history and faith in the Southern slaveholders's worldview

The Mind of the Master Class tells of America's greatest historical tragedy. It presents the slaveholders as men and women, a great many of whom were intelligent, honorable, and pious. It asks how people who were admirable in so many ways could have presided over a social system that proved itself an enormity and inflicted horrors on their slaves. The South had formidable proslavery intellectuals who participated fully in transatlantic debates and boldly challenged an ascendant capitalist ('free-labor') society. Blending classical and Christian traditions, they forged a moral and political philosophy designed to sustain conservative principles in history, political economy, social theory, and theology, while translating them into political action. Even those who judge their way of life most harshly have much to learn from their probing moral and political reflections on their times - and ours - beginning with the virtues and failings of their own society and culture. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 Abbreviations......Page 14 Prologue......Page 17 PART ONE CRADLED IN THE STORMS OF REVOLUTION......Page 25 1 “That Terrible Tragedy”......Page 27 2 The Age of Revolution through Slaveholding Eyes......Page 57 3 “The Purest Sons of Freedom”......Page 85 Entr’acte......Page 104 PART TWO THE INESCAPABLE PAST......Page 139 4 History as Moral and Political Instruction......Page 141 5 The Slaveholders’ Quest for a History of the Common People......Page 186 6 World History and the Politics of Slavery......Page 217 7 History as the Story of Freedom......Page 241 PART THREE ANCIENT LEGACIES, MEDIEVAL SENSIBILITY, MODERN MEN......Page 263 8 In the Shadow of Antiquity......Page 265 9 Coming to Terms with the Middle Ages......Page 321 10 The Chivalry......Page 345 11 Chivalric Slave Masters......Page 381 12 Chivalric Politics......Page 399 PART FOUR A CHRISTIAN PEOPLE DEFEND THE FAITH......Page 423 13 A Christian People......Page 425 14 Unity and Diversity among the Faithful......Page 460 15 War over the Good Book......Page 489 16 Slavery......Page 521 17 The Holy Spirit in the Word of God......Page 544 18 Jerusalem and Athens – Against Paris......Page 582 19 Serpent in the Garden......Page 603 20 Theopolitics......Page 629 Coda......Page 652 PART FIVE AT THE RUBICON......Page 663 21 Between Individualism and Corporatism......Page 665 22 Past and Future Caesars......Page 696 Epilogue......Page 727 Supplementary References......Page 735 Index......Page 809 [This book] tells of America's greatest historical tragedy. A great many of the slaveholding men and women were intelligent, honorable, and pious; yet, these very people, presided over a social system that proved itself an enormity and inflicted horrors on their slaves. Presenting many slaveholders as intelligent, honorable and pious men and women, this study asks how people who were admirable in so many ways could have presided over a social system that inflicted gross abuse on slaves. The South had formidable proslavery intellectuals who participated fully in transatlantic debates and boldly challenged an ascendant capitalist ("free-labor") society. Blending classical and Christian traditions, they forged a moral and political philosophy designed to sustain conservative principles in history, political economy, social theory, and theology, while translating them into political action.-http://www.booksinprint.com "The Mind of the Master Class tells of America's greatest historical tragedy. A great many of the slaveholding men and women were intelligent, honorable, and pious; yet, these very people, admirable in so many ways, presided over a social system that proved itself an enormity and inflicted horrors on their slaves. Even now, there is much to be learned from their moral and political reflections on their times--and ours"--Publisher's description Presenting America's slaveholders as men and women who were intelligent, honourable, and pious, this text asks how people who were admirable in so many ways could have presided over a social system that proved itself and enormity and inflicted horrors on their slaves