"Rape and Race in the 19th century south"

"Rape & Race in the Nineteenth Century South", focuses on the relationship between race and class in the south during the antebellum and post antebellum historic periods. The book offers a different perspective on the emergence and popularity of the rape myth. Through a variety of historical accounts, Sommerville shows that placing the rape myth in a post antebellum historical context will help readers transcend the racial stereotypes that we have come to accept, …

…in the class system of the antebellum and post antebellum south, we can see that public reaction to rape cases depended on the reputation of the woman claiming rape. Her wealth, or her husband's wealth, held more weight in deciding a verdict over actual evidence. Sad but true, this was the norm of the time and we can look back to such injustices in history to educate ourselves and make better judgments in present day.