Deliver Us from Evil: The Slavery Question in the Old South

by Lacy K. Ford

A major contribution to our understanding of slavery in the early republic, Deliver Us from Evil illuminates the white South's twisted and tortured efforts to justify slavery, focusing on the period from the drafting of the federal constitution in 1787 through the age of Jackson.

Drawing heavily on primary sources, including newspapers, government documents, legislative records, pamphlets, and speeches, Lacy Ford recaptures the varied and sometimes contradictory ideas and attitudes held by groups of white southerners as they debated the slavery question. He excels at conveying the political, intellectual, economic, and social thought of leading white southerners, vividly recreating the mental world of the varied actors.

He also shows that there was not one antebellum South but many, and not one southern white mindset but several, with the debates over slavery in the upper South quite different in substance from those in the deep South. An ambitious, thought-provoking, and highly insightful book, Deliver Us from Evil is essential for anyone interested in the history of slavery in the United States.

Genres: History, American History

688 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2009

Reviews

[Ronaldparlato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the history of slavery, especially interesting because it begins the story in the Colonial era, where most books start much later. Account of the differences and divisions between the old, Upper South, and the new cotton kindom Lower South. A must for understanding slavery and Southern and of course American history

[Nelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a good job of explaining how the whites controlled my ancestors with religion I wish I could have got more than just pages on the religious aspects of slavery but overall 4 stars I still learned alot

[Jason Cecil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book, but devastating to read as a white American. We really do a disservice to ourselves in how we generally treat the history of slavery in this country. The brutal racism of the state constitutional revisions of the Jacksonian Era are difficult to read, especially with nearly everything documented by the minutes of those conventions. This is a very important book, and I am proud that I have read it without fear as an American who is understanding better the systemic racism we baked into the cake from the start.

[Mark Cheathem]

I'm writing a longer review for the blog, but here's a short review. Ford's book likely will become a standard text in southern U.S. history courses. It's a comprehensive look at white attitudes toward slavery during the Early Republic period. It took a few weeks to read (over 700 pages of text and notes in smaller-than-normal print), but it was well worth the time.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much material, compacted beyond belief, no pictures AT ALL.
This text is denser than the Bible, no consideration for the reader; like 10,000 newspapers (sans pictures) compacted into a 673-page volume. Good luck with that.