POPULAR INSURGENCY AND CHILDHOOD: HOW CHILDREN APPROPRIATED ADULT POLITICAL DISSENT IN THE ANTEBELLUM SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS.

The article discusses the practice of barring out, in which schoolchildren barricaded the school against the entry of their teacher until he granted them treats or holidays, among yeoman farming communities in the antebellum southern U.S. According to the author, the practice allowed schoolchildren to imitate the political activities of their dissenting parents. Details on the origins of the practice in Great Britain and its history in the U.S. are presented. Topics discussed include political theater, honor, and social class.