Based on the Harvard thesis of DuBois-one of the great black
intellectuals of American history-and incorporating analyses of
national, state, and colonial statues, Congressional documents, personal
narratives, and other foundational sources, this essential work of
African-American history examines the prosecution of slavery laws in the
early colonies in North America and explores the moral, political, and
economical ramifications of the slave trade and its opposition. Topics
covered include: . the Revolutionary period . the Federal Convention of
1787 . Toussaint L'Ouverture and the antislavery efforts of 1787 to 1807
. the international slave trade . the rise of the cotton kingdom from
1820 to 1850 . the Civil War era . and more This study of the
slave-trade laws remains a vital resource for students of early America.
American writer, civil rights activist, and scholar WILLIAM EEDWARD
BURGHARDT DUBOIS (1868-1963) was the first black man to receive a PhD
from Harvard University. A cofounder of the NAACP, he wrote a number of
important books, including The Philadelphia Negro (1899), Black Folk,
Then and Now (1899), and The Negro (1915).