PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL & MECHANICAL SOCIETY HELD IN COLUMBIA, S.C., NOVEMBER 10-12, 1869.
Charleston, S.C. Walker, Evans & Cogswell, 1869. Original printed wrappers [detached but present, spine wrapper shorn]. 72pp. Good+ to Very Good.
A studious and earnest 'New South' production, the first Convention in "more than eight years. . . We have been recovering from this fierce paroxysm of civil strife, and have moved 'as a sick man in his sleep'." Carolinians were stunned by their defeat, having been taught by State Rights philosophers and "our theologians, that our system of labor had its sanction in Divine decrees."
Now however, South Carolina is recovering, "thanks to the reviving energies of our blood, and the sunny skies and teeming soil with which a bountiful God has blessed us." But the results of emancipation have not been good. "The novelty of freedom has worn away, and the characteristics of the negro freedman as a laborer are now pretty much established. Released from the discipline of slavery, unappreciative of the value of money, and but little desirous of comfort, his efforts are capricious," and his productivity has diminished since the good old days of Slavery.
Despite these negative developments, South Carolina recovers and thrives. New developments in agriculture and manufacturing are described.
III Turnbull 461. Item #41125
Price: $450.00