Slavery in North America: The revolutionary and early national period

Résumé du livre

"From the founding of Jamestown to the American Civil War, slavery and abolition shaped American national, regional and racial identities. Even now, slavery and its legacy remains the most emotive and divisive aspect of US history. This four-volume reset edition draws together rare sources relating to American slavery systems. The chronological spread of sources reveals changes in the material and intellectual underpinnings of slavery over time. Moreover, the arrangement of the sources reveal the geographical diversity of slavery across North America, and offer scholars access to the experience of a wide range of constituencies from slaves and slave-owners, through abolitionists and pro-slavery ideologues, to travellers and plantation visitors. The complicated role that slavery played in the ideological construction of Confederate nationhood is also explored. The texts included in this edition are rare and difficult-to-access or are transcribed from manuscripts for the first time. The edition includes extensive editorial material including a general introduction, volume introductions, headnotes, endnotes and a consolidated index in the final volume." -- Publisher.