The Long Shadow of Slavery: The Persistence of Slave Owners in Southern Law-Making

39 Pages Posted: 24 Aug 2020 Last revised: 23 Nov 2022

See all articles by Luna Bellani

Luna Bellani

University of Konstanz

Anselm Hager

University of Oxford

Stephan Maurer

Department of Economics, University of Konstanz

Abstract

This paper documents the persistence of the Southern slave owning elite in political power after the end of the American Civil War. We draw on a database of Texan state legislators between 1860 and 1900 and link them to their or their ancestors' slaveholdings in 1860. We then show that former slave owners made up more than half of nearly each legislature's members until the late 1890s. Legislators with slave owning backgrounds differ systematically from those without, being more likely to represent the Democratic party and more likely to work in an agricultural occupation. Regional characteristics matter for this persistence, as counties with higher soil suitability for growing cotton on average elect more former slave owners.

Keywords: US South, elites and development, wealth inequality, intergenerational persistence, slavery

JEL Classification: D72, J62, N31, H4

Suggested Citation

Bellani, Luna and Hager, Anselm and Maurer, Stephan, The Long Shadow of Slavery: The Persistence of Slave Owners in Southern Law-Making. IZA Discussion Paper No. 13611, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3679017

Luna Bellani (Contact Author)

University of Konstanz ( email )

Fach D-144
Universitätsstraße 10
Konstanz, D-78457
Germany

Anselm Hager

University of Oxford ( email )

Mansfield Road
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 4AU
United Kingdom

Stephan Maurer

Department of Economics, University of Konstanz ( email )

Box D124
Konstanz, BW 78457
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/site/stephanernstmaurer/

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