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Ante-Bellum: Writings of George Fitzhugh and Hinton Rowan Helper on Slavery
Three of the most famous books on slavery ever written are here edited by Professor Harvey Wish.
The two books of George Fitzhugh (Sociology for the South, 1854, and Cannibals All!, 1857) are powerful defences of slavery on humanitarian grounds. He points to the hideous condition of the "free" industrial laborers in the North and contrasts their insecure, miserable state with that of the Negro slaves of the South, who are cared for and sustained by their paternal owners. The Impending Crisis (1857) by Hinton Rowan Helper is a tremendous, resounding attack on the institution of slavery, couched in uncompromising terms of scorn and fury, but backed by some exceedingly solid and convincing facts and statistics. Helper's book caused riots in Congress ad throughout the country when it appeared in 1857, and any man caught with a copy in some places in the South was liable to be publicly whipped for the first offense, and hanged for the second. Its effects on the temper of the North were matched only by that of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and in some circles it was even more influential because of its solidity and its powerful air of conviction.
The two books of George Fitzhugh (Sociology for the South, 1854, and Cannibals All!, 1857) are powerful defences of slavery on humanitarian grounds. He points to the hideous condition of the "free" industrial laborers in the North and contrasts their insecure, miserable state with that of the Negro slaves of the South, who are cared for and sustained by their paternal owners. The Impending Crisis (1857) by Hinton Rowan Helper is a tremendous, resounding attack on the institution of slavery, couched in uncompromising terms of scorn and fury, but backed by some exceedingly solid and convincing facts and statistics. Helper's book caused riots in Congress ad throughout the country when it appeared in 1857, and any man caught with a copy in some places in the South was liable to be publicly whipped for the first offense, and hanged for the second. Its effects on the temper of the North were matched only by that of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and in some circles it was even more influential because of its solidity and its powerful air of conviction.
- GenresHistoryAmerican History
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
42 people want to read
About the author
George Fitzhugh
27 books9 followersAmerican social theorist, judge and writer.
He was a critic of the philosophical foundations of personal liberty and capitalism.
His Sociology for the South was an attack on Adam Smith, John Locke, & Thomas Jefferson and also the entire liberal tradition. He argued that free labor and free markets enriched the strong while crushing the weak.
His Cannibals All! was a sharp criticism of the system of "wage-slavery" found in the north.
He was a critic of the philosophical foundations of personal liberty and capitalism.
His Sociology for the South was an attack on Adam Smith, John Locke, & Thomas Jefferson and also the entire liberal tradition. He argued that free labor and free markets enriched the strong while crushing the weak.
His Cannibals All! was a sharp criticism of the system of "wage-slavery" found in the north.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 14, 2025
DNF summer 25
Fascinating to read several works where 'slavery' is a good word and 'liberty'/'universal liberty' is a bad word. Fizhugh think classical liberalism is evil and socialisim is the way to go and socialism is just a watered down form of slavery, so there's no surprise this edition was reprinted in the 50s lol. The last anti-slavery book was pretty brutal to read lol the South was not doing well
Fascinating to read several works where 'slavery' is a good word and 'liberty'/'universal liberty' is a bad word. Fizhugh think classical liberalism is evil and socialisim is the way to go and socialism is just a watered down form of slavery, so there's no surprise this edition was reprinted in the 50s lol. The last anti-slavery book was pretty brutal to read lol the South was not doing well
Displaying 1 of 1 review