When Tobacco Was King - by Evan P Bennett (Paperback)

About the Book

This book examines the agriculture of the South's original staple crop in the Old Bright Belt--a diverse region named after the unique bright, or flue-cured, tobacco variety it spawned.

Book Synopsis

Tobacco has left an indelible mark on the American South, shaping the land and culture throughout the twentieth century. In the last few decades, advances in technology and shifts in labor and farming policy have altered the way of life for tobacco farmers: family farms have largely been replaced by large-scale operations dependent on hired labor, much of it from other shores. However, the mechanical harvester and the H-2A guestworker did not put an end to tobacco culture but rather sent it in new directions and accelerated the change that has always been part of the farmer's life.

In When Tobacco Was King, Evan Bennett examines the agriculture of the South's original staple crop in the Old Bright Belt--a diverse region named after the unique bright, or flue-cured, tobacco variety it spawned. He traces the region's history from Emancipation to the abandonment of federal crop controls in 2004 and highlights the transformations endured by blacks and whites, landowners and tenants, to show how tobacco farmers continued to find meaning and community in their work despite these drastic changes.

Review Quotes

"Weaves
agricultural, social, and political history into a thorough and compelling
history of the Bright Belt tobacco region. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

"An
important addition to our understanding of the shaping of tobacco agriculture,
especially in the context of government farm programs."--Journal of
Southern History

"A
clear, concise roadmap through the complexities of post-Civil War tobacco life
and policy. . . . Captures the opportunities and challenges of southern
agriculture as it moved into the modern age."--Agricultural History

"A
solidly researched and well-documented study of one tobacco region from the
1860s through the early 2000s, and, as such, will be useful to many scholars of
agriculture and the South."--AAG Review of Books

"Examines
the transformation of tobacco work from the end of slavery to the present day
in order to consider the cultural and political ramifications of
modernization."--Journal of Economic Literature

"A
concise study of families, farm labor, and federal policy in the Old Bright
Belt region of North Carolina and Virginia. Bennett provides historical context
for tobacco's past and future."--North Carolina Historical Review

"Provides
an indispensable historical and analytical perspective on one of the most
important crops and agricultural landscapes in the United States. . . . This
book is highly recommended, insightful and readable."--Florida
Historical Quarterly

"Well-written
and thoroughly researched. . . . A fine summary of the complex issues
surrounding bright tobacco culture in its most historic setting."--Register
of the Kentucky Historical Society