Questions about the cultural interaction between whites and enslaved blacks in the antebellum South have long aroused controversy. Was there one dominant culture? Two separate cultures? One shared culture? Were interaction and interchange between the races possible? The essays collected here attempt to give answers and conclusions and to bring the picture of cultural life in the antebellum South into clearer focus.

With essays and commentaries bySylvia R. FreyElliott J. GornRobert L. HallCharles JoynerLawrence T. McDonnellBill C. MaloneLeslie Howard OwensMechal SobelBrenda StevensonJohn Michael Vlach