LAUSR

“undermined the paternalistic ideals developed by southern slave holders” (238). That institutional slave owners like the Briery Presbyterian Church recognized and reported on this contradiction makes Oast’s argument both clear and powerful. A third, and perhaps the most important, theme Oast emphasizes is the significant way that institutional slave ownership extended the benefits of slavery to non-slaveholders. Renting institutionally owned slaves enabled non-slaveholders to expand their labor force at a reasonable price and share in the experience of being a master. Profits derived from the labor or sale of institutionally owned slaves paid the salaries of ministers, funded tuition-free schools, supported college scholarships, and helped numerous institutions survive financial and political crises. In these ways, institutional slavery provided non-slaveholders with economic, educational, and religious opportunities that they could not have enjoyed otherwise. For Oast this helps explain why slavery retained broad support throughout the state despite only 26 percent of Virginia households owning slaves in 1860. Overall, Oast’s book is solidly researched, clearly argued, and generally well written, though spotty editing has left more than a few grammatical and word usage errors throughout the book. However, these unfortunate errors do not detract from the substantive contribution that Oast has made to a little studied area of church and slavery history. Her findings ought to prompt more studies of organization-based slavery and will certainly provide reason for more soul-searching among the region’s religious and educational institutions.