Families in crisis in the old south divorce slavery and the law in the antebellum south divorce was an explosive issue as one lawmaker put it divorce was to be viewed as a form of madness and as another asserted divorce reduced communities to the lowest ebb of degeneracy how was it that in this climate the number of divorces rose . Antebellum white southerners routinely praised marriage as one of the most important social institutions loren schweninger explores in this new book what happe. Download citation families in crisis in the old south divorce slavery and the law in the antebellum south divorce was an explosive issue as one lawmaker put it divorce was to be viewed . Families in crisis in the old south divorce slavery and the law ebook written by loren schweninger read this book using google play books app on your pc android ios devices download for offline reading highlight bookmark or take notes while you read families in crisis in the old south divorce slavery and the law. In families in crisis in the old south loren schweninger uses previously unexplored records to argue that the difficulties these divorcing families faced reveal much about the reality of life in a slave holding society as well as the myriad difficulties confronted by white southern families who chose not to divorce