EasterBlack-owned or founded brands at TargetGroceryClothing, Shoes & AccessoriesBabyHomeFurnitureKitchen & DiningOutdoor Living & GardenToysElectronicsVideo GamesMovies, Music & BooksSports & OutdoorsBeautyPersonal CareHealthPetsHousehold EssentialsArts, Crafts & SewingSchool & Office SuppliesParty SuppliesLuggageGift IdeasGift CardsClearanceTarget New ArrivalsTarget Finds#TargetStyleTop DealsTarget Circle DealsWeekly AdShop Order PickupShop Same Day DeliveryRegistryRedCardTarget CircleFind Stores

The People and Their Peace - by Laura F Edwards (Paperback)

The People and Their Peace - by  Laura F Edwards (Paperback) - 1 of 1
$38.99 sale price when purchased online
$42.50 list price
Target Online store #3991

About this item

Highlights

  • In the half-century following the Revolutionary War, the logic of inequality underwent a profound transformation within the southern legal system.
  • Author(s): Laura F Edwards
  • 448 Pages
  • History, United States

Description



About the Book



People and Their Peace: Legal Culture and the Transformation of Inequality in the Post-Revolutionary South



Book Synopsis



In the half-century following the Revolutionary War, the logic of inequality underwent a profound transformation within the southern legal system. Drawing on extensive archival research in North and South Carolina, Laura F. Edwards illuminates those changes by revealing the importance of localized legal practice.

Edwards shows that following the Revolution, the intensely local legal system favored maintaining the "peace," a concept intended to protect the social order and its patriarchal hierarchies. Ordinary people, rather than legal professionals and political leaders, were central to its workings. Those without rights--even slaves--had influence within the system because of their positions of subordination, not in spite of them. By the 1830s, however, state leaders had secured support for a more centralized system that excluded people who were not specifically granted individual rights, including women, African Americans, and the poor. Edwards concludes that the emphasis on rights affirmed and restructured existing patriarchal inequalities, giving them new life within state law with implications that affected all Americans.

Placing slaves, free blacks, and white women at the center of the story, The People and Their Peace recasts traditional narratives of legal and political change and sheds light on key issues in U.S. history, including the persistence of inequality--particularly slavery--in the face of expanding democracy.

In the half-century following the Revolutionary War, the logic of inequality underwent a profound transformation within the southern legal system. Drawing on extensive archival research in North and South Carolina, Laura F. Edwards illuminates those changes by revealing the importance of localized legal practice.

Edwards shows that following the Revolution, the intensely local legal system favored maintaining the "peace," a concept intended to protect the social order and its patriarchal hierarchies. By the 1830s, however, state leaders had secured support for a more centralized system that excluded people who were not specifically granted individual rights, including women, African Americans, and the poor. Edwards concludes that the emphasis on rights affirmed and restructured existing patriarchal inequalities, giving them new life within state law with implications that affected all Americans.

Placing slaves, free blacks, and white women at the center of the story, Edwards recasts traditional narratives of legal and political change and sheds light on key issues in U.S. history, including the persistence of inequality--particularly slavery--in the face of expanding democracy.



Review Quotes




An authoritative study on the legal culture of the plantation South. . . . A great book! Highly recommended.--Choice

An important and profound reexamination of the legal culture of the 1789-1840 era. . . . Edwards's arguments are convincing and enlightening. . . . A seminal work that should stimulate further work and a new school of interpretation of American history.--H-Net Reviews

An outstanding and groundbreaking study, one that will in all likelihood change the way scholars look at the law in the southern states for some time to come.--North Carolina Historical Review

Based on deep research in local and appellate court records, statutes, and the papers of jurists. . . . Edwards' efforts to chart a new legal history of the South are admirable and her research is impressive.--Journal of Southern History

Bold and deeply impressive. . . . Surely one of the very finest books ever written on antebellum legal history. It looks to important and neglected sources, is a very sophisticated study, and will repay multiple readings. Its bold thesis will keep scholars busy in the archives, rethinking our own work and generating new insights for decades.--Journal of American Ethnic History

Offers provocative new insights into nineteenth-century southern society. . . . Scholars of slavery, the Old South, and late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century U.S. law ignore it at their peril.--Georgia Historical Quarterly

Proposes an alternative view of the Early National period, one based on records that most historians still do not use. . . . Well worth reading.--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

Provides a richly textured portrait of a legal culture in which women, African Americans, and the poor played an important part. . . . Offers an important contribution to the literature on the history of the South.--H-Net Reviews

The author's prodigious research in the extant legal records of the Carolinas as well as the challenging interpretations that emerge from this research are the study's great strengths. . . . Where this study succeeds is in its sophisticated analysis of a broad range of records that reveal important insights about ordinary people and their place in the early nineteenth century.--The Journal of American History

This book is destined to be a crucial work in American legal history, but its impact on other fields may be just as great.--American Historical Review
Dimensions (Overall): 9.1 Inches (H) x 6.1 Inches (W) x 1.0 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.45 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 448
Genre: History
Sub-Genre: United States
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Theme: State & Local
Format: Paperback
Author: Laura F Edwards
Language: English
Street Date: April 30, 2009
TCIN: 94274155
UPC: 9780807859322
Item Number (DPCI): 247-06-1037
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details above aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1 inches length x 6.1 inches width x 9.1 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1.45 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO

Return details

This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.
This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, shipped, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or made ready for pickup.
See the return policy for complete information.

Related Categories

Get top deals, latest trends, and more.

Privacy policy

Footer

About Us

About TargetCareersNews & BlogTarget BrandsBullseye ShopSustainability & GovernancePress CenterAdvertise with UsInvestorsAffiliates & PartnersSuppliersTargetPlus

Help

Target HelpReturnsTrack OrdersRecallsContact UsFeedbackAccessibilitySecurity & FraudTeam Member Services

Stores

Find a StoreClinicPharmacyTarget OpticalMore In-Store Services

Services

Target Circle™Target Circle™ CardTarget Circle 360™Target AppRegistrySame Day DeliveryOrder PickupDrive UpFree 2-Day ShippingShipping & DeliveryMore Services
PinterestFacebookInstagramXYoutubeTiktokTermsCA Supply ChainPrivacyCA Privacy RightsYour Privacy ChoicesInterest Based AdsHealth Privacy Policy