Making a Slave State

Political Development in Early South Carolina

By Ryan A. Quintana | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

About the book

How is the state produced? In what ways did enslaved African Americans shape modern governing practices? Ryan A. Quintana provocatively answers these questions by focusing on the everyday production of South Carolina’s state space—its roads and canals, borders and boundaries, public buildings and military fortifications. Beginning in the early eighteenth century and moving through the post–War of 1812 internal improvements boom, Quintana highlights the surprising ways enslaved men and women sat at the center of South Carolina’s earliest political development, materially producing the state’s infrastructure and early governing practices, while also challenging and reshaping both through their day-to-day movements, from the mundane to the rebellious. Focusing on slaves’ lives and labors, Quintana illuminates how black South Carolinians not only created the early state but also established their own extralegal economic sites, social and cultural havens, and independent communities along South Carolina’s roads, rivers, and canals.

Combining social history, the study of American politics, and critical geography, Quintana reframes our ideas of early American political development, illuminates the material production of space, and reveals the central role of slaves’ daily movements (for their owners and themselves) to the development of the modern state.

Editions of Making a Slave State

Hardcover
ISBN 9781469641065
Paperback
ISBN 9781469642222
EBook
ISBN 9781469641089
EBook
ISBN 9798890855060
EBook
ISBN 9781469641072
PDF
ISBN 9798890855053

Read an Excerpt

How is the state produced? In what ways did enslaved African Americans shape modern governing practices? Ryan A. Quintana provocatively answers these questions by focusing on the everyday production of South Carolina’s state space—its roads and canals, borders and boundaries, public buildings and military fortifications. Beginning in the early eighteenth century and moving through the post–War of 1812 internal improvements boom, Quintana highlights the surprising ways enslaved men and women sat at the center of South Carolina’s earliest political development, materially producing the state’s infrastructure and early governing practices, while also challenging and reshaping both through their day-to-day movements, from the mundane to the rebellious. Focusing on slaves’ lives and labors, Quintana illuminates how black South Carolinians not only created the early state but also established their own extralegal economic sites, social and cultural havens, and independent communities along South Carolina’s roads, rivers, and canals.

Combining social history, the study of American politics, and critical geography, Quintana reframes our ideas of early American political development, illuminates the material production of space, and reveals the central role of slaves’ daily movements (for their owners and themselves) to the development of the modern state.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Making a Slave State about?

How is the state produced? In what ways did enslaved African Americans shape modern governing practices? Ryan A. Quintana provocatively answers these questions by focusing on the everyday production of South Carolina’s state space—its roads and canals, borders and boundaries, public buildings and military fortifications. Beginning in the early eighteenth century and moving through the post–War of 1812 internal improvements boom, Quintana highlights the surprising ways enslaved men and women sat at the center of South Carolina’s earliest political development, materially producing the state’s infrastructure and early governing practices, while also challenging and reshaping both through their day-to-day movements, from the mundane to the rebellious. Focusing on slaves’ lives and labors, Quintana illuminates how black South Carolinians not only created the early state but also established their own extralegal economic sites, social and cultural havens, and independent communities along South Carolina’s roads, rivers, and canals.

Combining social history, the study of American politics, and critical geography, Quintana reframes our ideas of early American political development, illuminates the material production of space, and reveals the central role of slaves’ daily movements (for their owners and themselves) to the development of the modern state.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Making a Slave State?

History and Archaeology > History > History: specific events and topics > Slavery, enslaved persons and abolition of slavery

Where can I read a sample of Making a Slave State?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469641065

How long is Making a Slave State and how many pages does it have?

Making a Slave State has 254 page(s)

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Making a Slave State?

Ryan A. Quintana

Who is the Publisher of the book Making a Slave State?

The University of North Carolina Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Making a Slave State is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469641065) and paperback(ISBN 9781469642222) and ebook(ISBN 9781469641089) and ebook(ISBN 9798890855060) and ebook(ISBN 9781469641072) and pdf(ISBN 9798890855053)

Where can I buy Making a Slave State online or support local independent bookshops?

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Where can I buy Making a Slave State?