Fathers of Conscience examines high-court decisions in the antebellum South that involved wills in which white male planters bequeathed property; freedom; or both to women of color and their mixed-race children. These men; whose wills were contested by their white relatives; had used trusts and estates law to give their slave partners and children official recognition and thus circumvent the law of slavery. The will contests that followed determined whether that elevated status would be approved or denied by courts of law.Bernie D. Jones argues that these will contests indicated a struggle within the elite over race; gender; and class issues―over questions of social mores and who was truly family. Judges thus acted as umpires after a man's death; deciding whether to permit his attempts to provide for his slave partner and family. Her analysis of these differing judicial opinions on inheritance rights for slave partners makes an important contribution to the literature on the law of slavery in the United States.
#2940104 in Books University of Georgia Press 1996-12-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 6.25 x 1.00l; #File Name: 0820318442296 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Amazing insight into the minds of a Confederate family during the Civil WarBy CustomerI bought this book because I live in Roswell GA and I'm interested in the history of the town. The letters of this family really shows a level of closeness (even with distance between them) as they plowed through the harshness of the war. You feel terrible for poor William. If medicine had been better; he would have lived. You feel terrible for his family because they could not be there when he died. The letters are tedious to read; but full of so much information of the times. The fact that they collected and were interested in various flowers is amusing. Makes you wonder what we would be interested in if we didn't have television; internet; etc. to occupy our minds.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Death of a ConfederateBy Karen C. FleckAny one that is interested in the Cival War needs to get this book.Gives details of the happening during Willies time serving for our counry. I liked the book very much.
