Slavery in the Economy of Wharton County, Texas 1846-1860

Author

Elizabeth L. Roberts, Prairie View A&M College

Date of Award

8-1953

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Degree Discipline

History

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide knowledge of the role of the Negro slave in the plantation economy of Wharton County and to discover the extent to which the slave has permeated the social economic life of the county. The writer shall attempt to answer the following questions for her benefit and the benefit of other students. 1. What was the role of slaves in the acquisition of public lands? 2. What was the actual value of slaves in the social and economic status of the southern planters? 3. What was the relative values of slave property, in relation to, sex and age? 4. What was the role of the slave in the Probate transaction in the plantation system in the South? 5. Why was there such an honor given to the planter possessing large numbers of slaves? 6. To what did the land poor planters turn for liquid capital when a sum of money was needed? 7. How does the value of slaves compare with other property of the southern planter?

The scope of this study will begin in 1846 when Wharton County was carved out of Matagorda and Jackson counties, and closing around 1860, which date the upheaval of the slave plantation system in the South began. The material for this study consists of about 115 cases, gathered from archives, old newspapers, and county records. Census records, letters and maps having dates corresponding with the scope dates were also useful.

Committee Chair/Advisor

George Woolfolk

Publisher

Prairie View A&M College

Rights

Date of Digitization

9-13-2021

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Roberts, E. L. (1953). Slavery in the Economy of Wharton County, Texas 1846-1860. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/410