Includes bibliographical references (p. [243]-282) and index.

Freedom, slavery, and the legacy of the American Revolution -- "Our laborers are our property": the southern slave economy -- "Each person works for himself": the ideal and reality of free labor -- "A complete revolution in social life": cultural change in the Antebellum north -- "The anointed lords of creation": culture and society in the Antebellum south -- "Called by the same name": the many meanings of liberty -- To "fight against the serpent": antislavery and its early progress -- "A fireball in the night": the struggle escalates -- "Keep it within limits": western lands and free soil -- "Anti Nebraska feeling is too deep": origins and triumph of Republicanism -- "The inexorable logic of events": secession, war, and emancipation.