Race and Schooling in the South, 1880-1950: An Economic History (National Bureau of Economic Research Series on Long-Term Factors in Economic Development) - Softcover

Margo, Robert A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226505111 ISBN 13: 9780226505114

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1994

Synopsis

The interrelation among race, schooling, and labor market opportunities of American blacks can help us make sense of the relatively poor economic status of blacks in contemporary society. The role of these factors in slavery and the economic consequences for blacks has received much attention, but the post-slave experience of blacks in the American economy has been less studied. To deepen our understanding of that experience, Robert A. Margo mines a wealth of newly available census data and school district records. By analyzing evidence concerning occupational discrimination, educational expenditures, taxation, and teachers' salaries, he clarifies the costs for blacks of post-slave segregation.

"A concise, lucid account of the bases of racial inequality in the South between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights era. . . . Deserves the careful attention of anyone concerned with historical and contemporary race stratification."—Kathryn M. Neckerman, Contemporary Sociology

"Margo has produced an excellent study, which can serve as a model for aspiring cliometricians. To describe it as 'required reading' would fail to indicate just how important, indeed indispensable, the book will be to scholars interested in racial economic differences, past or present."—Robert Higgs, Journal of Economic Literature

"Margo shows that history is important in understanding present domestic problems; his study has significant implications for understanding post-1950s black economic development."—Joe M. Richardson, Journal of American History

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Drawing on a rich body of quantitative evidence... Margo carefully extracts evidence concerning occupational discrimination, educational expenditures, taxation, and teacher's salaries. His study focuses on the South, where the overwhelming majority of black men in the labor force were educated during the first half of the twentieth century.

About the Author:

Robert A. Margo is professor of economics at Boston University and a research associate of the NBER.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0226505111
• ISBN 13: 9780226505114
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 174