swing low

Following the Civil War, the South built a new social order that rivaled antebellum slavery and the cotton economy: the convict leasing system. Black convicts were forced into involuntary servitude at the hands of the states and private companies. At the peak of the Industrial Era, Alabama became one of the foremost producers of iron, steel, and coal in the world through forced labor. Swing Low examines the institution, profits, and violence of the neo-slavery system to explain America’s contemporary labor and legal system.

from may 1 thru 31