In the mid-1800s South, laws stripped married women of their property rights, compelling them to surrender wealth to their husbands. However, there was an exception with slaves, allowing women to accumulate wealth through this method. Fathers aligned with this practice, gifting slaves to their daughters during significant life events to secure economic stability. Women utilized these slaves in various entrepreneurial endeavors, ranging from selling homemade goods to engaging in commercial exploitation. This allowed them to generate personal income and gain autonomy and status, creating a rare pathway to financial independence within a patriarchal society.
The scars of the covid pandemic are still raw, but now a virus spreading among farm animals could leap to humans. Could bird flu become the next pandemic? White women are sometimes absolved of blame in the crime of slavery in America (9:50). Research suggests they may have been culpable too. And meet the creator of Dateline, the Economist’s history quiz (17:25).
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