The Land Was Ours

“The Land Was Ours shows the importance of coastal capitalism to the development of the Sunbelt South. It also provides a valuable new prism for viewing and understanding the region’s growth and the politics of its people. Scholars in many modern U.S. specialties, including African American history, southern history, environmental history, and business history, will find this book engaging and stimulating.”—Journal of American History

“The Land Was Ours reminds us that in the Sunbelt South, the rise and fall of Jim Crow, the struggle for civil rights, and the exploitation of ecosystems were fundamentally related processes that shouldn’t be treated in isolation. That reminder, combined with fascinating, evocative evidence and Kahrl’s ability to deftly tell a complicated story, make this a significant book that should be widely read.”—American Historical Review

“Artfully captures the complexities of black community formation as African Americans sought to tame and commercialize the natural coastal environment and negotiated complex and changing structures of racial discrimination, segregation, and exclusion in the Jim Crow and Sun Belt souths.”—Southern Spaces

“A fine reminder and exploration of the idea that place matters when tracing the contours of racial changes in American society and landscapes.”—Journal of Social History

"[A] heartbreaking and hugely important study.”—Beryl Satter, author of Family Properties