American Slavery, American Freedom
50th Anniversary Edition
8 August 2025
Territory Rights — Worldwide.
Description
The classic exploration of the connection between freedom and slavery, with a bold new introduction from prominent historian Annette Gordon-Reed
In the American Revolution, Virginians were the most eloquent spokesmen for freedom and equality. George Washington led the Americans in battle against British oppression. Thomas Jefferson led them in declaring independence. Virginians drafted the Declaration, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And they were slave owners. Through the lens of colonial Virginia, American Slavery, American Freedom is the classic examination of the tragic contradiction at the core of America. In her illuminating new introduction, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Annette Gordon-Reed (The Hemingses of Monticello; On Juneteenth) introduces a new generation of readers to Edmund S. Morgan’s classic text, reminding us that without a full reckoning of the connection between freedom and slavery, America will stall on the road to racial justice.
Reviews
"Profoundly important... Every page of Morgan's book speaks of a sensitive understanding of human nature, as well as of a scrupulous attention to scholarly exactitude." — J.H. Plumb, The New York Review of Books
Also By: Edmund S. Morgan 
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