Masterless Men

Keri Leigh Merritt explores the socioeconomic impact of slavery on white laborers in the American South during the 1840s and 1850s, focusing on how the dependence on slave labor shaped the lives of impoverished white populations. The book examines how this underclass, unable to compete with slavery-driven economic gains, contributed to tensions within Southern society. It also considers the broader political and social consequences, including their influence on the escalation toward secession and civil war.