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White Women, Black Men: Illicit Sex in the Nineteenth-Century South Paperback – January 11, 1999

by Martha Hodes (Author)

4.3 51 ratings

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"[A] fascinating survey of interracial relationships in the South between the 1680s and the 1880s. . . . Enthralling."—David Nicholson, Washington Post

This award-winning book is the first to explore the history of a powerful category of illicit sex in America’s past: liaisons between Southern white women and black men. Martha Hodes tells a series of stories about such liaisons in the years before the Civil War, explores the complex ways in which white Southerners tolerated them in the slave South, and shows how and why these responses changed with emancipation.

Hodes provides details of the wedding of a white servant-woman and a slave man in 1681, an antebellum rape accusation that uncovered a relationship between an unmarried white woman and a slave, and a divorce plea from a white farmer based on an adulterous affair between his wife and a neighborhood slave. Drawing on sources that include courtroom testimony, legislative petitions, pardon pleas, and congressional testimony, she presents the voices of the authorities, eyewitnesses, and the transgressors themselves—and these voices seem to say that in the slave South, whites were not overwhelmingly concerned about such liaisons, beyond the racial and legal status of the children that were produced. Only with the advent of black freedom did the issue move beyond neighborhood dramas and into the arena of politics, becoming a much more serious taboo than it had ever been before. Hodes gives vivid examples of the violence that followed the upheaval of war, when black men and white women were targeted by the Ku Klux Klan and unprecedented white rage and terrorism against such liaisons began to erupt. An era of terror and lynchings was inaugurated, and the legacy of these sexual politics lingered well into the twentieth century.

About the Author

Martha Hodes is assistant professor of history at New York University.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

January 11, 1999
Dimensions

9.24 x 6.1 x 0.94 inches
ISBN-10

0300077505
ISBN-13

978-0300077506
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Rajen Persaud
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Martha Hodes
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Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
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Vincent Woodard
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Revised edition (January 11, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300077505
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300077506
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.24 x 6.1 x 0.94 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,386,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,746 in Psychology & Counseling Books on Sexuality
- #3,169 in General Gender Studies
- #6,064 in African American Demographic Studies (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 51 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

51 global ratings

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John R. Spencer

Any Lament Regarding the 'Old Days' Must Be Reconsidered...

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2010

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The book does absolutely make one think (or better--realize) that the 'Old Days' were not necessarily the 'Best Days.'
As I was reading the book, I could not help but think of color as being 'everything.'
Considering that the 'white' skin was an item of power for the woman, it is indeed fascinating as to what would motivate the white women described in the book to love a 'negro' man. Especially, if that 'negro' man was a slave. I would like to believe the white 'ladies' (yes, I use that word) knew what the 'position' the man held in society. And I would like to believe the ladies knew what 'position' she would now hold in society. Thus, some of the tragic events described in the book.

I did like the chronological flow of the book and the reference back to earlier times as was warranted when coming to the end of the nineteenth century (nearly modern times).

Of course, a subject like this would have to be absolutely rigorously researched. And, it does appear that Ms. Hodes really did her job in that respect.

I will admit to being surprised that it was not until the immediate run-up and after the Civil War that 'automatic' murder/lynching of black men occrred with impunity. I had thought that there was 'automatic' lynching of any black man that 'knew' a white woman.

It is too bad that we do not have a fuller record of the 'voiceless' men.

As I was reading the book and referring to the notes, I could not help but think just kind of courage it took to cross color 'lines.'
No matter what, it does seem that sex, lust, and love (the order is deliberate) is just something that cannot be legislated, beat, or murdered away.

Reading the book certainly had me thinking about what 'freedom' means. Depictions of idyllic times in the 'Old Days' certainly needs at the very least more consideration. We all would do well to take a 'hard' look at the 'Old Days' -- no matter who.

The book is certainly more than a worthy excursion into subject matter that is fraught with 'landmines' (political, moral, etc).

10 people found this helpful

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C

Excellent Book - Turns the Idea of Southern Patriarchy on it's Head

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017

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I read and used this book as part of the historiography for a research project I just completed. Hodes provides truly groundbreaking research and insight to the scholarship of American slavery. Historians from the mid-20th century offer an approach that focuses the experience of the slave master; therefore dismissing or glossing over these taboo relationships Hodes uncovers in her book. The past few decades have offered an emergence of feminist historians, like Hodes, who delve into these illicit encounters. I found this book to be highly "readable," as I got caught up in reading it during my spare time (prior to implementing it into my own work).

6 people found this helpful

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Helen Kimble

well written

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013

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Clear language covering a broad period and geographic area. A good foray into the legal context and variety of responses in various areas of the south.

3 people found this helpful

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Shawn Asor-Sallaah

Sexual realtionships between black men and white women from slavery and beyond.

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2014

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Great reading tells another side of sexual relationships and love between black men and their lovers in slavery and beyond. It allows it reader a brighter side of male and female relationship without the tyranny of rape that occurred between white men and black men/women victims. It indicates throughout slavery white women continued to love their black male counterparts knowingly facing death and whereas white males had to use rape to have sexual relationships with women of color.

4 people found this helpful

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Candice Murdock

Amazingly readable academic study of sex and race in the Antebellum south

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2013

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I don't think I have ever read an account of such and intriguing antebellum topic with so many primary sources used. The majority of the book is based on court documents from Virginia and Appalachia. It's really quiet amazing how common liaisons between different races were in this time period and oddly how tolerated they were. This book definitely changed my perception about southern society at this time.

11 people found this helpful

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shy

the problem with this book is it is mostly about ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015

the problem with this book is it is mostly about black men charged with rape or rapping under age white females not about consensual relationships
how many Black women were raped during that period ?

2 people found this helpful

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CoolAC28

Insightful!

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2018

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A very good read on a very complex topic. I think every black/white interracial couple should read this book!

2 people found this helpful

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Matchbyjulia

Interesting but slow read

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018

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Interesting but same information over and over. Was expecting more details and different stories.

2 people found this helpful

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Dipak Nambiar

A historical document.

Reviewed in India on April 22, 2019

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Guess I expected something more salacious. The tone was quite bland, wouldn't have bought it had I known.

joe

The topic everyone thinks, but no one knows

Reviewed in Canada on March 6, 2017

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I always wanted to read about the American South and its history with race. I am at a loss as to say why I bought this book or even how I found it. When I did found it, I flipped through and thought that I would be quite interesting. The history of sexuality is very interesting, but looking at the influence of race and class in the American South with regard to sexuality made the study even more interesting. I could go on for a few paragraphs to say what was good and bad, but it would be too long. It was a fantastic read! Hodes looks at a topic that most people tend to think little of, or if they do are only thinking in terms of what they watched on TV, saw in a novel or the Internet. She looks at the topic in a very intelligent way. She takes class and race together to explain both toleration and hatred to interracial relationships in the American South. She is able to show the influence of both class and notions of race within the time period being discussed. I am at a loss for words as to say how amazing this book was, completely changing my perception of interracial relationships in the American south in both slavery and emancipation. What I think Hodes missed was on how much information was provided about the women involved in these relationships. She does discuss their class and predicament but lacks the actual reason as to why some women chose to have such relations. Moreover there is a lack of after the news broke in the town as to what happened to the woman, if she was ostracized, married another man, had any children and so on. Hodes tends to just stop at the verdict of the court cases. Telling more about their time after the case (which of there could be no record at all to explain why Hodes did not give anymore information) would provide a possible rational for the woman’s choice in a relationship that was not approved of and how they themselves saw such relationships (sorry, it is difficult to explain my reasoning). I heavily suggest that when reading to pay close attention to the introduction and why she uses the word toleration over tolerance. This in turn provides a way to look at her arguments and what her sources and history is trying to say about this topic. Always keep in mind, the importance of class and race during this time to the people, but look beyond the reason of just love for why such relationships arose (marriage during most of history had a lot more to with class, and economics rather than love). Read carefully and look beyond simple reasons to answer why.

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White Women, Black Men: Illicit Sex in the Nineteenth-Century South Paperback – January 11, 1999

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