Book description
The Mind of the Master Class tells of America's greatest historical tragedy. It presents the slaveholders as men and women, a great many of whom were intelligent, honorable, and pious. It asks how people who were admirable in so many ways could have presided over a social system that proved…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Mind of the Master Class as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I love this book because Genovese puts a lifetime of research and scholarship into the service of searching for an answer to the question: how did slaveholders reconcile slavery and Christian faith? What results from this project is a stunning reconstruction of the mental furniture of the individuals who led the southern states into secession and war. Genovese uncovers what they learned at school, where they traveled, with whom they spoke and interacted, what they read, and what they thought about what they read.
What emerges is a distinct group of individuals who saw themselves as no one’s imitators and…
From Adrian's list on The best books on slavery ambition and the Civil War.
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