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They Were Her Property
by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
Introduction
Book Overview
Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with formerly enslaved people, They Were Her Property dismantles the myth of the “benevolent” Southern woman. Jones-Rogers reveals that white women were active, profit-driven slave owners who exploited enslaved people as shrewd economic agents, reshaping our understanding of gender, race, and power in the antebellum South.
White women were deeply invested—economically and emotionally—in the institution of slavery.
Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
Why This Book Matters
- Challenges the persistent myth that white women were passive bystanders in slavery, revealing their central roles as investors and profiteers
- Expands the conversation about gender and power, showing how patriarchy and white supremacy intersected to sustain racialized exploitation.
- Encourages critical re-examination of historical narratives that erase or soften women’s participation in systems of oppression.
Book Details
- Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
- Yale University Press
- 2019
- Black History & Legacy
See the Truth. Confront the Past.
Discover how history looks when the stories of white women’s ownership and complicity are brought to light. Get your copy today and explore a groundbreaking re-telling of America’s past.
