_merchant_exslaves

Major Problems in American Environmental History

• Edited by Carolyn Merchant

• Third Edition

Contents Overview

Chapter 7: The Cotton South Before and After the Civil War

• Documents

  1. Frances Anne Kemble Discusses Slavery and Nature in Georgia, 1838-1839

  2. A Georgia Planter Tells Why Cotton Pays, 1847

  3. Frederick Law Olmsted Describes Cotton Production and Environmental Deterioration, 1861

  4. Sharecroppers' Contracts, 1876-1886

  5. Freed Slave Louis Hughes Describes Cotton Raising and Cotton Worms, 1897

  6. A Louisiana Convention Declares War on the Boll Weevil, 1903

  7. Ex-Slaves Describe Their Means of Subsistence, 1937

  8. A Freed Slave Explains "Why That Boll Weevil Done Come," 1945

• Essays

  • Albert Cowdrey - Soils Used

  • Eugene Genovese - Soils Abused

  • Theodore Steinberg - Soils Extracted

• Further Reading

Chapter 8: Extracting the Far West in the Nineteenth Century

• Documents

  1. A Russian Sailor Depicts the Sea Otter Trade, 1813

  2. A Manager Describes the Russian American Company, 1835

  3. Senator Thomas Hart Benton Explains Manifest Destiny, 1846

  4. A Federal Agent Assesses Mining's Impact on the Indians, 1853

  5. James Marshall Tells How He Discovered Gold, 1857

  6. Joaquin Miller Reveals Environmental Deterioration in the Gold Country, 1890

  7. A Fish Commissioner Explains the Need for Salmon Protection, 1885

  8. A Capitalist Advocates Salmon Hatcheries, 1893

  9. An Indian Woman Deplores the Soreness of the Land, Recorded in 1925

• Essays

  • James Gibson - Otters versus Russians in Alaska

  • Jessica Teisch - Miners versus Farmers in California

  • Richard White - Salmon versus Fishers in the Northwest

• Further Reading

Ex-Slaves Describe Their Means of Subsistence, 1937

Monroe Brackins

• Described subsistence on coons, possums, and wild game

• Family cultivated a garden with snap beans and watermelons post-freedom

• Mentioned the master providing adequate food and seasonal treats

• Living largely on cornbread, beef, and wild game during and after the Civil War

Andy J. Anderson

• Detailed life on Master Haley's plantation, resembling a self-sufficient town

• Activities included shoemaking and baking using sheep’s wool

• Highlighted that the plantation primarily produced cotton

Ellen Payne

• Lived on a plantation with adequate provision of food and work-life balance

• Tasks included animal care and opportunities for personal projects

• Described the freedom of economic activities like gardening alongside plantation work

Sarah Felder

• Discussed traditional beliefs and practices in gardening and health remedies

• Shared insights on the importance of gardening and herbal medicine in slave life

Della Buckley

• Recounted the methodology of cooking, including special techniques and ingredients for traditional dishes

• Reflected on the long career as a cook and the importance of culinary arts in her life

John Belcher

• Provided anecdotes of fishing techniques and hunting, emphasizing skills and resourcefulness of ex-slaves

• Described methods for catching fish, using both traps and techniques taught by locals.