Chained in silence : Black women and convict labor in the new South / Talitha L. LeFlouria.

9781469623283 (electronic book)
1469623285 (electronic book)
1469622475
9781469622477
1469622483
9781469622484
1469630001
9781469630007

Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, [2015]

©2015

English

1 online resource (xiii, 257 pages) : illustrations, maps.

40024839821

HV8929.G42 L44 2015eb

331.4086/92709758

"In 1868, the state of Georgia began to make its rapidly growing population of prisoners available for hire. The resulting convict leasing system ensnared not only men but also African American women, who were forced to labor in camps and factories to make profits for private investors. In this vivid work of history, Talitha L. LeFlouria draws from a rich array of primary sources to piece together the stories of these women, recounting what they endured in Georgia's prison system and what their labor accomplished. LeFlouria argues that African American women's presence within the convict lease and chain-gang systems of Georgia helped to modernize the South by creating a new and dynamic set of skills for black women. At the same time, female inmates struggled to resist physical and sexual exploitation and to preserve their human dignity within a hostile climate of terror. This revealing history redefines the social context of black women's lives and labor in the New South and allows their stories to be told for the first time"--Provided by publisher.

"Portions of the text were previously published as 'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Cuts Cordwood : Exploring Black Women's Lives and Labor in Georgia's Convict Camps, 1865-1917,' Labor : Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas 8, no. 3 (Fall 2011)"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Access limited to authorized users.

Description based on print version record.

Justice, power, and politics.

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