Joseph Menn

Large Slaveholders of Louisiana Joseph Menn

Although only seventh among the states in total number of slaves in 1860, and tenth in the number of slaveholders, Louisiana was fourth among the number of slaveholders with fifty or more slaves. Moreover, Louisiana ranked first among the states with slaveholders having 70, 100, and 200 slaves. Originally published in 1961, this fascinating thesis, based upon the returns for Louisiana of the United States Eighth Census of 1860, today serves as a thorough examination of the economic aspects of slavery in pre-Civil War Louisiana. Detailed tables for each of the then forty-eight parishes of the state (except Bienville Parish, for which no returns were available) provide such information as the names of the slaveholders and the number of slaves owned, as well as what crops were produced in what quantities.