Old South: Middle Florida\'s Plantation Frontier Before

¶ … Old South: Middle Florida's Plantation Frontier before the Civil War" by Edward E. Baptist. 1. What is the big historical question; Summarize the main points of the questions or theories the author is trying to address in his/her work. 2. Where does the work fit in the existing historiography. 3. What evidence does the author use to make the case? 4. Briefly summarize the author's findings. 5. How well does he/she make the case? Is the result believable? Why or why not? 6. What (if anything) is wrong with the work? Are there major gaps or inconsistencies?

Creating an Old South: Middle Florida's Plantation

Frontier before the Civil War"

In "Creating an Old South: Middle Florida's Plantation Frontier before the Civil War," Edward E. Baptist presents a historical account of the era of migration to Middle Florida during the early 1800's and its creation of the plantation boom. Baptist attempts this presentation by discussing the views and legalities of slavery, as well as, the white elite slave-owner's role of power verses the poorer non-slave-owning white population.

Baptist weaves a work of historical facts and accounts with entries from journals and diaries of some of the key regional figures of that era. By this, his readers enjoy insights into the lives of the people who carved a culture whose fragment remnants still remain today.

The majority of Baptist's sources are taken from historical and legal records of Florida's Leon and Jackson counties. Baptist is careful to detail the findings of other authors, either singularly or as group or whole to illustrate the climate of the times, whether politically or culturally. He also cites or refers to other works to demonstrate the power of the word to incite, such as authors who wrote about Florida, describing it as a paradise of comfort and profit with endless possibilities, thus, creating a migration boom south. Although, some had pioneered south based on oral accounts, it was the written word that began the flood of plantation owners. Baptist uses such accounts thoughtfully throughout his book, often referring often to newspaper accounts and political speeches.

Baptist's research revealed a view of the Old South that few had until now seen. Baptist showed one of greed and self-interest, filled with conflict between white plantation owners and the common white farmers, the haves and the haves not. Florida at that time had a whole different set of rules, or rather no laws. Unlike states such as Missouri, Florida had no congressional body to challenge the legality of slavery, thus, it became a refuge for slave owners from the growing abolitionist movements that were gaining recognition in the north. Moreover, the long growing seasons and rich soil of Middle Florida became a haven for large landowners as well as the scratch farmer. Baptist points out that by 1823, descriptions of this new virgin land between the east and west coasts of Florida were appearing in print by at least four authors, causing many to imagine the possibilities, whether financially or culturally.

However, as Baptist is careful to account, this new paradise soon became embroiled in conflict, culturally and politically. By the 1840's, conflicts between the whites waned when slavery became an issue of threat. With common bond, the white elite planters saw themselves as the royalty of the South, equal to the Jamaican plantation owners who were among Britain's richest men. Cotton, tobacco and sugar cane were but a few boomer crops of the plantations. These land barons, with the use of slave labor began to build industries, such as cotton gins and sugar mills. With their wealth came political power and the ability to shape the territory of Florida to serve their own self-interests and desires. They became major players of world trade and commerce, extending beyond national boundaries. Baptist documents the rise to power of the white elitists and the conflicts and turmoil of those early years of settlement between the plantation owners and the white settlers who had come to carve a life for their families.