Why read Old South, New South?

Book cover of Old South, New South: Revolutions in the Southern Economy Since the Civil War

Book description

In this provocative and intricate analysis of the postbellum southern economy, Gavin Wright finds in the South's peculiar labor market the answer to the perennial question of why the region remained backward for so long. After the Civil War, Wright explains, the South continued to be a low-wage regional market…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Old South, New South as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

James C. Cobb

Author

In this intriguing and highly readable book, Gavin Wright essentially explores both the immediate and long-term economic consequences of slavery for the South. In doing so, he makes a persuasive case that, for the greatest part of its history, much of what passed for a distinctive southern culture and mindset can also be understood as a function of the persistence of its distinctive low-wage regional economy.

From James' list on The best books that "tell about the South".