Historians have long believed that the "frontier" shaped Texas plantation society; but in this detailed examination of Texas's most important plantation region; Sean M. Kelley asserts that the dominant influence was not the frontier but the Mexican Republic. The Lower Brazos River Valley -- the only slave society to take root under Mexican sovereignty -- made replication of eastern plantation culture extremely difficult and complicated. By tracing the synthesis of cultures; races; and politics in the region; Kelley reveals a distinct variant of southern slavery -- a borderland plantation society.Kelley opens by examining the four migration streams that defined the antebellum Brazos community: Anglo-Americans and their African American slaves who constituted the first two groups to immigrate; Germans who came after the Mexican government barred immigrants from the U.S. while encouraging those from Europe; and African-born slaves brought in through Cuba who ultimately made up the largest concentration of enslaved Africans in the antebellum South. Within this multicultural milieu; Kelley shows; the disparity between Mexican law and German practices complicated southern familial relationships and master-slave interaction. Though the Mexican policy on slavery was ambiguous; alternating between toleration and condemnation; Brazos slaves perceived the Rio Grande River as the boundary between white supremacy and racial egalitarianism. As a result; thousands fled across the border; further destabilizing the Brazos plantation society. In the1850s; nonslaveholding Germans also contributed to the upheaval by expressing a sense of ethnic solidarity in politics. In an attempt to undermine Anglo efforts to draw a sharp boundary between black and white; some Germans hid runaway slaves. Ultimately; Kelley demonstrates how the Civil War brought these issues to the fore; eroding the very foundations of Brazos plantation society. With Los Brazos de Dios; Kelley offers the first examination of Texas slavery as a borderland institution and reveals the difficulty with which southern plantation society was transplanted in the West.
#2076873 in Books Louisiana State University Press 2006-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .86 x 5.86 x 8.80l; .96 #File Name: 0807129909240 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Charen FinkA lot of good information.10 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Unearthing A Hidden HeritageBy Ralph H. PetersThis is a superb work for those interested in long-buried facets of our Civil War. Although the great number of publications dealing with the general subject might make one think that there are no new pastures to plow; Dr. Thomas Lowry has been pioneering one new field of research after another; from the "dark side" of Civil War medicine to the way courts-martial records illuminate--and round out--the moonshine-and-magnolias approach that still infects so much popular history-writing. I was bemused to read that one reviewer found this something of a "Lost Cause" book; since Lowry more often has written from the Union point of view; the point is that he's fair and serious--and easily the most creative; brilliant; innovative researcher at work today in the field of Civil War studies. The professoriat; buffs and lay readers alike owe Lowry a series of enormous debts. I believe I've read every one of his books and no author has taught me more about the period. This hard-facts volume about the roles played by Confederate women (including not a few eccentrics and dubious characters) in championing their cause deepens our understanding--whether our sympathies lie north or south of the Mason-Dixon line. You have to go straight to the Official Records to get information of this depth and quality. As for any academic criticism of Lowry--who was a career psychiatrist before devoting his life to this subject--it's pure jealousy. Lowry and his wife (who aids in his research) have done the tough; grinding archives-crunching that academics claim to respect but too-often shun in fact. This fine volume is the straightforward; unadorned truth about the American Civil War (think Joe Friday goes to Natchez). Very highly recommended for all serious students of the period; as well as for general readers who delight in seeing things from a fresh point of view.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. If you love the American Civil War; read this oneBy Rightwing PatriotI love history and this book fit right into my love for the civil war time period. Everyone should read this
