Henry Hughes (sociologist) facts for kids

Henry Hughes (1829–1862) was an American lawyer, a person who studies society (called a sociologist), a state senator, and a Colonel in the Confederate States Army from Mississippi. He created an economic idea called warrantism. He also supported bringing more people from Africa to work in the Southern states.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Henry Hughes was born on April 17, 1829, in Port Gibson, Mississippi. His parents, Captain Benjamin Hughes and Nancy Brashear, were originally from Kentucky.

He graduated from Oakland College in 1847. After college, he studied law in Port Gibson and New Orleans. He then continued his studies in Paris, France. There, he took classes in subjects like Architecture, Social Science, and Chemistry. Hughes was also influenced by the ideas of a famous sociologist named Auguste Comte.

Career and Ideas

After his studies, Hughes returned to Port Gibson and began working as a lawyer.

Henry Hughes was one of the first Americans to use the word 'sociology' in a book title. His book was called Treatise on Sociology, Theoretical and Practical. In this book, he argued that the economic system of the Southern states was better than that of the Northern states.

Hughes developed an economic idea he called 'warrantism'. In this system, the owner was called the 'warrantor' and the worker was called the 'warrantee'. This idea suggested a strong central government. Everyone, whether a warrantor or warrantee, was required to work. The state's needs would come before individual people's needs, and duty would be more important than personal freedom. Hughes believed that people could not truly "own" other people. Instead, he saw both masters and workers as "servants of the social order." He also thought that warrantees could be encouraged to work through rules, while warrantors would be motivated by their position.

In 1853, Hughes became a member of the New Orleans Academy of Arts and Sciences. He then served in the Mississippi State Senate in 1857. During his time as a senator, he supported the idea of bringing more people from Africa to work in the Southern states.

Hughes wrote articles in Mississippi newspapers about his ideas. He suggested that people brought from Africa could be given more status as 'dutiful workers'. He also proposed bringing new African 'warrantees' who would learn to work for the state from a young age.

During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Hughes served as a Colonel. He was part of the Mississippi Twelfth Regiment and the Army of Northern Virginia in the Confederate States Army.

Death

Henry Hughes passed away from a health condition called rheumatism on October 3, 1862. He died at his home in Port Gibson, Mississippi.

Legacy

Henry Hughes's ideas had an impact on the Southern states after the American Civil War. His book, Treatise on Sociology, was even used as a textbook in the American South until the 1890s.

His ideas also influenced how large farms in California were managed after the Mexican–American War. Farm owners in California hired different groups of workers, like Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican immigrants. They looked for workers who were productive and willing to follow rules, which was similar to Hughes's idea of the 'dutiful warrantee'.

Later, some of Hughes's ideas were compared to those of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's economic policies. These policies also suggested that the government should help make sure all citizens had jobs.