Slavery and Sectional Strife in the Early American Republic, 1776-1821

Kornblith (history, Oberlin College) traces the debate over slavery in the US from the Revolution through the conclusion to the Missouri Crisis. Analytic essays examine the rise of slavery in British North America, its role in colonial society, the emergence of anti-slavery sentiment on the eve of the American Revolution, the interplay between slavery and the American War for Independence, and the politics of slavery at both state and national levels during the period. Along with the historical facts, he includes not his own ideas about why things happened the way they did, but a sampling of scholarly opinion designed to draw readers into the ongoing conversation among historians. The second half of the volume is devoted to primary documents on themes brought in the first. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Gary J. Kornblith is professor of history at Oberlin College. He is the editor of The Industrial Revolution in America and co-editor of Teaching American History.