The political economy of the cotton South : households, markets, and wealth in the nineteenth century

The Impact Of Cotton And Slavery In The Nineteenth Century American South Was So Dramatic And Enduring That Neither The Region Nor The Nation Has Yet Escaped From The Influence Of That Era Of Regional Prominence. 1. Introduction: -- Models, Economists, And Slavery -- The Argument Summarized -- 2. The Structure Of The Cotton-slave Economy: -- The Rise Of Cotton And North American Slavery -- The Cotton State In 1860 -- The Distribution Of Wealth In The Cotton South -- Wealth Distribution In Historical Perspective -- Slaves, Wealth, And Political Economy: The Paradoxes Of Southern Society -- 3. The Microeconomics Of Plantation And Farm: -- Slavery And The Scale Of Operations -- Slavery And The Choice Of Crops -- Self-sufficiency And Risk -- Economies Of Scale Under Slavery -- Slavery: Labor As A Commodity -- 4. The Pace Of Progress In The Cotton South: -- The Growth Of Cotton Demand -- Productivity In Cotton And Other Crops -- Slavery And Nonagricultural Economic Activity -- Slavery, Immigration, And The Critics -- Conclusion -- 5. On Making Economic Sense Of Cotton, Slavery, And The Civil War: -- Direct, Slavery, And The Civil War: Direct Economic Conflicts Between North And South -- The Profitability Of Slavery Once More -- Making Economic Sense Of The Politics Of Slavery -- Reopening The Slave Trade As A Test Case -- Conclusion: Northern Expansion And Southern Psychology -- 6. After The War: -- The Rise Of Tenancy -- The Abandonment Of Self-sufficiency -- The Evolution Of Tenancy -- Reprise: The Cotton South In Historical Perspective. Gavin Wright. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [185]-195. xv, 205 pages : 22 cm The impact of cotton and slavery in the nineteenth century American South was so dramatic and enduring that neither the region nor the nation has yet escaped from the influence of that era of regional prominence Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-195) and index 1. Introduction: -- Models, Economists, and Slavery -- The Argument Summarized -- 2. The Structure of the Cotton-Slave Economy: -- The Rise of Cotton and North American Slavery -- The Cotton State in 1860 -- The Distribution of Wealth in the Cotton South -- Wealth Distribution in Historical Perspective -- Slaves, Wealth, and Political Economy: The Paradoxes of Southern Society -- 3. The Microeconomics of Plantation and Farm: -- Slavery and the Scale of Operations -- Slavery and the Choice of Crops -- Self-Sufficiency and Risk -- Economies of Scale Under Slavery -- Slavery: Labor as a Commodity -- 4. The Pace of Progress in the Cotton South: -- The Growth of Cotton Demand -- Productivity in Cotton and Other Crops -- Slavery and NonAgricultural Economic Activity -- Slavery, Immigration, and the Critics -- Conclusion -- 5. On Making Economic Sense of Cotton, Slavery, and the Civil War: -- Direct, Slavery, and the Civil War: Direct Economic Conflicts Between North and South -- The Profitability of Slavery Once More -- Making Economic Sense of the Politics of Slavery -- Reopening the Slave Trade as a Test Case -- Conclusion: Northern Expansion and Southern Psychology -- 6. After the War: -- The Rise of Tenancy -- The Abandonment of Self-Sufficiency -- The Evolution of Tenancy -- Reprise: The Cotton South in Historical Perspective