The Unintended Consequences of Emancipation:
The Abolition of Slavery and the Rise of Racist Narratives in Southern U.S. Newspapers (1800–1920)

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Abstract: Does the abolition of racial hierarchy undermine or enhance racism? From the contact hypothesis to structural racism and racial threat theories, these frameworks provide distinct perspectives on the relation between the abolition of racial hierarchy and racism. To address this theoretical puzzle, we examine the impact of the abolition of slavery following the Civil War—a profound disruption to the racial hierarchy—on the development of racism in the American South. Using an original dataset covering 1,403 southern counties over a span of 121 years, we find that the abolition of slavery increases the prevalence of racist narratives in Southern U.S. newspapers. This effect is primarily driven by economic competition between freed Black workers and White workers in the labor market. Furthermore, we explore the long-term effects of slavery abolition and demonstrate that even 150 years later, slavery continues to shape modern racial biases.

Full Paper Link: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5244337