UMPI to celebrate Zaborney’s new book
PRESQUE ISLE — University of Maine at Presque Isle History Professor John Zaborney has shed new light on slave labor in the antebellum South in his newly-published book. UMPI will celebrate with a reading and book-signing event with the author on Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center.
Image courtesy of UMPI
A RECEPTION and book-signing by Dr. John Zaborney’s for his new book “Slaves for Hire: Renting Enslaved Laborers in Antebellum Virginia” will be held on Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. 
In his new book, “Slaves for Hire: Renting Enslaved Laborers in Antebellum Virginia,” Zaborney suggests — contrary to popular belief — that the endemic practice of slave renting or hiring bolstered the institution of slavery in the decades leading up to the Civil War, all but assuring Virginia’s secession from the Union to protect slavery.
Zaborney’s book, published by Louisiana State University Press, is the first in-depth examination of slave hiring in Virginia. Previously, scholars viewed slave hiring as an aberration — a modified form of slavery involving primarily urban male slaves, that worked to the laborer’s advantage and weakened slavery’s institutional integrity.
Zaborney came across the idea of slave hiring in graduate school as he was seeking a topic suitable for his Ph.D. dissertation.
“I had noticed scattered references to slave hiring in the books we read, and it seemed very unique and significant,” Zaborney recalled. “It soon became clear to me, however, that very little research had been done on slave hiring, and that what little had been done on it resulted in conclusions about it that did not ring true to me … I knew I had something which, with more time and work, could be expanded into a book.”
In the years since, Zaborney returned to the South in search of additional material. He also had opportunities to present his findings at conferences and publish small pieces, all the while incorporating the new material into a growing manuscript that ultimately was picked up by Louisiana State University Press.
Zaborney has served as a professor at UMPI since 1998. He has written nearly 20 articles and book chapters on topics associated with slavery and slave hiring. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history/political science from Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va.; his master’s degree in history from SUNY College at Cortland; and his Ph.D. in U.S. history from the University of Maine.
The March 21 public event will include a reading and Q&A by the author, followed by a book signing. There will also be a reception featuring light refreshments, and wine available through a cash bar. Copies of his book will be on display and for sale.
For more information about this event or Zaborney’s book, call the University’s Community and Media Relations Office at 768-9452 or e-mail gshaw@umpi.edu.
