The Roots of Southern Distinctiveness

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The book examines the economic history of Danville, Virginia, highlighting how its reliance on monocultures like tobacco, shaped by the region's unique climate and soils, led to its underdevelopment. By contrasting Danville with a neighboring county that thrived on diverse wheat and dairy farming, the author challenges the notion that the Civil War was the primary cause of the South's economic struggles, instead attributing them to agricultural practices and regional characteristics.