Railroads in the Old South: Pursuing Progress in a Slave Society [Hardcover]

Aaron W. Marrs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2009

Aaron W. Marrs challenges the accepted understanding of economic and industrial growth in antebellum America with this original study of the history of the railroad in the Old South.

Drawing from both familiar and overlooked sources, such as the personal diaries of Southern travelers, papers and letters from civil engineers, corporate records, and contemporary newspaper accounts, Marrs skillfully expands on the conventional business histories that have characterized scholarship in this field. He situates railroads in the fullness of antebellum life, examining how slavery, technology, labor, social convention, and the environment shaped their evolution.

Far from seeing the Old South as backward and premodern, Marrs finds evidence of urban life, industry, and entrepreneurship throughout the region. But these signs of progress existed alongside efforts to preserve traditional ways of life. Railroads exemplified Southerners' pursuit of progress on their own terms: developing modern transportation while retaining a conservative social order.

Railroads in the Old South demonstrates that a simple approach to the Old South fails to do justice to its complexity and contradictions.

(2009)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The time is right to bring the South into the story of the economic transformation of antebellum America. Aaron Marrs does this with force and grace in Railroads in the Old South.

(John L. Larson, Purdue University 2009)

I am hard pressed to think of another volume that better catches the overall effect railroads had on the Old South.

(Kenneth W. Noe, Auburn University 2009)

Interesting regional history... It is a thoughtful and instructive study that examines not only the pervasiveness of transportation but also some of the social, political, and economic consequences associated with the evolution of southern railroads.

(Choice 2010)

This well-researched and readable volume is the best single study of railroads in the South before the Civil War. It should be of interest to historians as well as the general public.

(James W. Ely, Jr. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 2010)

Marrs has given Civil War scholars some critical issues to consider when they evaluate the conflict's impact on railroads and the railroad's impact on the conflict.

(Robert C. Kenzer Civil War Book Review 2010)

Marrs’s conclusions concerning slave labor deserve a wide reading and general approbation.

(James L. Huston American Historical Review 2009)

A useful, important, and timely book for southern and business history... Marrs has produced the most detailed account of the South's experience with railroads and has uncovered more aspects of this transformation than any previous scholar.

(William G. Thomas Journal of American History 2010)

Railroads in the Old South is a solid contribution to our understanding of the birth of American railroading. There is much that is fresh and fascinating in each chapter... This book should be of interest to every serious student of railroad history, and even casual readers will find the text accessible and informative.

(Theodore Kornweibel Railroad History 2011)

Artfully written and rewarding... This book is a winning accomplishment that deserves a wide audience.

(Eric J. Morser Business History Review )

Readers will find Railroads in the Old South an informative and lively social history.

(Mark Aldrich Technology and Culture )

An important study of antebellum railroads in the American South.

(H. Roger Grant South Carolina Historical Magazine )

Marrs's broad perspective and eye for detail have produced an outstanding overview of not just the Southern but the American experience with railroads during the antebellum era. Anyone interested in the history of railroads, technology, or the South will find this volume worthwhile.

(Robert G. Angevine Register of the Kentucky Historical Society )

Thoroughly researched and well written.

(Richard Jensen Florida Historical Quarterly )

Informative and well-organized.

(Dr. Owen Brown and Dr. Gale E. Gibson Neworld Review )

About the Author

Aaron W. Marrs received his Ph.D. in history from the University of South Carolina and was associate managing editor of South Carolina Encyclopedia. He now serves in the Office of the Historian, United States Department of State.

(2010)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; First Edition first Printing edition (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801891302
• ISBN-13: 978-0801891304
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a historian with a particular interest in the nineteenth-century American South, the history of technology (especially railroad history), race relations, the history of time, and the history of consumerism.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Broader Vision, April 23, 2009

By 

J. Dexter Taylor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Railroads in the Old South: Pursuing Progress in a Slave Society (Hardcover)

Aaron Marrs is a gifted historian and talented writer, who has presented a new view of the antebellum South in relation to transportation, industrialization, and slavery. Dr. Marrs has done outstanding research into the creation of railroads, the management of railroads, and their impact upon the southern economy and life. He has corrected the assumption that the South was uninterested in industrialization or slow to commit its resources to the same. Further, he does an excellent job of examining the relationship between the railroads and slave labor. And finally, he interprets the impact of the raliroad on the life of southerners -- rich and poor, slave and free, male and female. Dr. Marrs accomplishes all of this with a literary style that is both easy to read and entertaining. His facts are well documented and his anecdotes move his historical work forward in an engrossing manner.

5.0 out of 5 stars Any collection strong in rail or Southern history needs this, July 18, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Railroads in the Old South: Pursuing Progress in a Slave Society (Hardcover)

RAILROADS IN THE OLD SOUTH: PURSUING PROGRESS IN A SLAVE SOCIETY challenges the usual understanding of economic and industrial growth in the South with its study of the railroad. Overlooked sources - such as personal diaries of Southern travelers, corporate records and newspaper accounts - expand upon the usual conventional business approach, adding a dimension of social history to the exploration of how slavery, technology and social convention influenced railroad development. Any collection strong in rail or Southern history needs this.