My research explores the relationship between industry, labor, and economic development in nineteenth-century America, with particular attention to the antebellum South.
I’m especially interested in how industrial activity shaped communities, economies, and working lives, often in ways that challenge familiar assumptions about the region’s economic history.
This section brings together reflections on my published scholarship, ongoing research, and new questions I’m exploring, including my current work on prison labor. It offers a place to share the stories behind the research and consider what the economic and labor history of the past can tell us about the world we live in today.
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Sugar in the West Indies and the St. Kitts Sugar Train
As an economic historian who studies the antebellum South, and one who lived in Louisiana while learning their trade, sugar is something that has always interested me. Sugar was an industrial enterprise, and took a large amount of both technology and organization to realize the potential profits of this “white gold.” Recently, I was on…
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Gulf South Data Set Used In Industrial Development and Manufacturing in the Antebellum Gulf South: A Reevaluation
As stated numerous times in the book, there was a data set used to created the maps and charts in the text. This data set was far too large to be published in the book, so, for those interested, here is the pdf version of Appendix C – Data New – Final Draft.