Date of Graduation
12-2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
History
Advisor/Mentor
Jeannie M. Whayne
Committee Member
Daniel E. Sutherland
Second Committee Member
Kathryn Sloan
Third Committee Member
Patrick G. Williams
Keywords
African-American History, Arkansas, Slavery
Abstract
Slavery grew quickly on the western edge of the South. By 1860, more than one quarter of Arkansas's population was enslaved. While whites succeeded remarkably in transplanting the institution of slavery to the trans-Mississippi South, bondspeople used the land around them to achieve their own goals. Slaves capitalized on the abundance of uncultivated space, such as forest and canebrake, to temporarily escape the demanding crop routine, hold secret parties and religious meetings, meet friends, or run away for good. The Civil War created upheaval that undermined the slave regime but also required those African-Americans still in bondage to carefully navigate their use of the woods and "wild" spaces.
Citation
Jones, K. E. (2014). The Peculiar Institution on the Periphery: Slavery in Arkansas. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2044