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Essay on Book Review: Masters of Small Worlds by Stephanie Mccurry

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Masters of Small Worlds by Stephanie McCurry
The book Masters of Small Worlds by Stephanie McCurry concentrates on one very specific time and place in history. The time is pre-Civil War and the place is the Low Country in southern South Carolina. This area is particularly interesting because of the interaction between the planters and the yeomen in the area. The author explores the similarities and differences between these two distinct social classes. The author also brings gender relations into the equation. Her overall idea, as the title implies, is that the men of this era and this part of the country demanded control of each and every aspect of life. For every institution, there is a set hierarchy. This book is very well …show more content…

The gender and class relations would suffer just as they did in the planters' households. The yeoman settlements closely bordered those of the planters. These close proximities allowed for the interaction of these two very different social classes. The yeomen, in general, yearned to be a part of the planter's class. It was this undying hope that helped to pit this otherwise completely different class of people, with the wealthy plantation owners of the area. One of the many aspects of society that set these two classes apart was the ownership of slaves. This also set the scene for the influx of racial inequalities. The blacks in the area were overwhelmingly landless slaves. Even the yeomen, who greatly outnumbered the elite planters, suffered from inequalities.
The ideas McCurry presents also have a great deal to do with gender relations in this time. The overall theme is always that of the master. White males in this place and time seem to possess an incredible superiority complex. This is one of the traits that links the yeomen farmer with the plantation owners. The planters handle their wives and children as if they were their property. This is in much the same fashion that they treat their slaves. Slavery, by the way, was perfectly acceptable and very common. These people would insist that slavery is alright because the Bible backs

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