Giving close consideration to previously neglected debates, Matthew
Mason challenges the common contention that slavery held little
political significance in America until the Missouri Crisis of 1819.
Mason demonstrates that slavery and politics were enmeshed in the
creation of the nation, and in fact there was never a time between the
Revolution and the Civil War in which slavery went uncontested.
The American Revolution set in motion the split between slave states and
free states, but Mason explains that the divide took on greater
importance in the early nineteenth century. He examines the partisan and
geopolitical uses of slavery, the conflicts between free states and
their slaveholding neighbors, and the political impact of African
Americans across the country.
Offering a full picture of the politics of slavery in the crucial years
of the early republic, Mason demonstrates that partisans and patriots,
slave and free--and not just abolitionists and advocates of
slavery--should be considered important players in the politics of
slavery in the United States.
Giving close consideration to previously neglected debates, Matthew
Mason challenges the common contention that slavery held little
political significance in America until the Missouri Crisis of 1819.
Mason demonstrates that slavery and politics were enmeshed in the
creation of the nation, and that in fact there was never a time between
the Revolution and the Civil War in which slavery went uncontested.
Offering a full picture of the politics of slavery in the crucial years
of the early republic, Mason demonstrates that partisans and patriots,
slave and free--and not just abolitionists and advocates of
slavery--should be considered important players in the politics of
slavery in the United States.
