The Political Economy of Slavery: Studies in the Economy and Society of the Slave South

"Genovese's view of the Old South may or may not ultimately prevail, but...The Political Economy of Slavery is one of those books that rearrange basic concepts, so that even tho debate continues, it no longer travels over the same tracks... Genovese's context is rich, his mind acute, his learning extensive."— David M. Potter, Saturday Review
"What is original in Mr Genovese's highly stimulating volume is the analysis of the ante bellum political, economic & social structure as a closed system with a built-in (& most unAmerican) resistance to change...[It] will move the discussion of the ante bellum South to a new level of sophistication."— Anne Firor Scott, The South Atlantic Quarterly
"He has given new life to the study of Southern history."— Wm N. Parker, Economic History Review
"The work is original & quite persuasive."—The New Yorker
"Genovese has combined elegance of expression & originality of analysis in a remarkable book."— Leonard Bloom, Journal of Modern African Studies
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
The slave South: an interpretation
Low productivity of southern slave labor: causes & effects
The Negro laborer in Africa & the slave South
Cotton, slavery & soil exhaustion
Livestock in the slave economy
The limits of agricultural reform
The significance of the slave plantation for southern economic development
The industrialists under the slave regime
Slave labor or free in the southern factories: a political analysis of an economic debate
Origins of slavery expansionism
A note on the place of economics in the political economy of slavery
Bibliographical Note
Index