Eugene Genovese and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese discuss the practice of slavery in the United States, asking how this enormity flourished in a country founded on principles of liberty and equality. Historians and cultural commentators find that question inspires continued the analysis of the American mind, in present times as well as the past. The psychological dimensions of the practice of slavery are central to a study by the speakers entitled The Mind of the Master Class: The Psychology of Southern Slaveholders.
At the time of this interview, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1984-85), was professor of history at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Eugene Genovese, a Fellow at the Center (1984-85), was professor of history at the University of Rochester.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
