This Species of Property: Slave Life and Culture in the Old South

This Species of Property examines the lived experiences of enslaved people in the American South through extensive research of primary sources, including medical records, plantation documents, and first-hand accounts. The book reconstructs daily life, health conditions, work routines, and survival strategies of slaves from the colonial period through the Civil War. The text analyzes how enslaved people maintained their humanity and built communities despite brutal circumstances and attempts to dehumanize them. Details about food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and labor practices reveal both the systemic cruelty of the institution and the ways slaves resisted their oppression. Through investigation of original documents and careful historical analysis, Owens brings forth many previously unexplored aspects of slave life and culture. The work stands as an important contribution to understanding how enslaved people's experiences shaped American history and continue to influence modern society.

Readers found this academic text thorough in documenting slave life through primary sources and medical records. Multiple reviews note its detailed examination of slave health conditions, disease, and medical treatment. Liked: - Research depth into plantation medical practices - Focus on daily living conditions rather than politics - Inclusion of slave narratives and testimonies - Clear writing style accessible to non-academics Disliked: - Dense statistical information can be overwhelming - Limited coverage of some regions/time periods - Some sections read like academic papers - High price for the paperback edition Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (19 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (8 ratings) "Provides incredible detail about slave life from a medical perspective" - Goodreads reviewer "Important but sometimes dry reading" - Amazon reviewer "The statistical data helps quantify the brutal realities of slavery" - LibraryThing review Note: Limited total reviews available online for this academic text.

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🔷 Leslie Howard Owens was one of the first historians to extensively use slave narratives and medical records to examine the daily lives and health conditions of enslaved people, revolutionizing how scholars approached the study of American slavery. 🔷 The book reveals that enslaved people developed sophisticated herbal medicine practices, combining African traditional remedies with Native American botanical knowledge to treat illnesses when denied proper medical care. 🔷 Published in 1976, this groundbreaking work challenged the then-common historical narrative that enslaved people were passive victims, instead highlighting their resilience and complex social structures. 🔷 The research shows that slave owners often blamed enslaved people's illnesses on "laziness" or "natural weakness," while medical records revealed that poor living conditions and inadequate nutrition were the true causes. 🔷 The author discovered that many enslaved people maintained detailed oral histories of their family lineages despite forced separations, preserving their cultural identities across generations through storytelling and secret gatherings.