{"product_id":"9781933337708","title":"A Feast of Reason","description":"\u003cp\u003eJames Madison Hall kept a journal from 1860 until just before his death in 1866, in which he recorded a daily log of events in his life and the lives of his family, slaves, and friends. It also served as a record of business dealings, money borrowed and repaid, and cost of items during the war. Hall lived in Houston County, Texas, where he was a farmer, and in Liberty County, Texas, where he was a merchant and mayor of Liberty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book illustrates the home life of Texans during the Civil War and includes Hall’s relationship with blacks, especially a man named Billl Hicks, who became Hall’s miller when Hall was away. This book traces the changing relationships betweeen slaves and masters during the early post-war transition, before Congressional Reconstruction began. Hall’s feast of reason was to refuse to go into the military, even though he favored seccession; to adapt to changing needs and circumstances; and to remain a voice of fairness and moderation during these trying times.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"State House\/McWhiney Foundation Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47044072898800,"sku":"9781933337708","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781933337708_p0.jpg?v=1763640528","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781933337708","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}