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A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial
Contributor(s): Lebsock, Suzanne (Author)
ISBN: 0393326063     ISBN-13: 9780393326062
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
OUR PRICE:   $27.50  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: September 2004
Qty:
Annotation: This story probes the dramatic 1895 trials of four black people arrested after a white woman was murdered with an ax. In vivid courtroom scenes, Bancroft Prize-winning historian Lebsock offers the modern reader a riveting encounter with a South in the throes of change.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States - State & Local - South (al,ar,fl,ga,ky,la,ms,nc,sc,tn,va,wv)
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies - African American Studies
- Law | Legal History
Dewey: 364.152
LCCN: 2002015946
Physical Information: 1" H x 5.4" W x 8.2" (1.15 lbs) 442 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1851-1899
- Ethnic Orientation - African American
- Geographic Orientation - Virginia
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
It's 1895 in Virginia, and a white woman lies in her farmyard, murdered with an ax. Suspicion soon falls on a young black sawmill hand, who tries to flee the county. Captured, he implicates three women, accusing them of plotting the murder and wielding the ax. In vivid courtroom scenes, Bancroft Prize-winning historian Suzanne Lebsock recounts their dramatic trials and brings us close to women we would never otherwise know: a devout (and pregnant) mother of nine; another hard-working mother (also of nine); and her plucky, quick-tempered daughter. All claim to be innocent. With the danger of lynching high, can they get justice?

Lebsock takes us deep into this contentious, often surprising world, where blacks struggle to hold on to their post-Civil War gains against a rising tide of white privilege. A sensation in its own time, this case offers the modern reader a riveting encounter with a South in the throes of change.

Contributor Bio(s): Lebsock, Suzanne: - Suzanne Lebsock is a recipient of a MacArthur fellowship and professor of history at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Her work winning The Free Women of Petersburg received the Bancroft Prize. She lives in New Brunswick, New Jersey.