Emancipation in Virginia's tobacco belt, 1850-1870 /

This is a scholarly examination of slavery in Virginia's tobacco region at the time of the Civil War. Particular emphasis is given to how the ``hired slave,'' through contact with the wider world, became prepared to meet the economic changes caused by the war and by emancipation. Also detailed are the effects of slavery on Virginia's decision to secede, on the war itself, and on the tacit alliance between the Freedman's Bureau and conservative elements to force freed people to reenter agriculture as hired laborers after the war. Although not written for a general audience, this is a useful book for academic libraries.-- Robert A. Curtis, Taylor Memorial P.L., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.