Previously, slavery has not been fully incorporated into our understanding of the creation and development of the federal government. . . . Ericson’s book will form an essential part of all future attempts to construct a historically accurate understanding of the early American state." —Review of Politics "Historians and political scientists both stand to gain from this book. David ... Read moreF. Ericson engages profitably with an impressive array of literature from both disciplines, and as a scholar with a foot in both worlds he asks useful questions that may not occur to one immersed only in one of them. Ericson’s volume is an extraordinarily valuable and persuasive expansion of the discussion." —Journal of American History "For students of the history of the early United States, this book holds some value simply as a compendium of concise, detailed accounts of several important and fascinating subjects." —American Historical Review "Ericson’s successful integration of political and sociological theories about state-building, historical sensitivities to change and specificity, and the economic utilization of fiscal data provides a fresh perspective to old debates about the relationship between slavery and American politics. His work offers new ways to explore beyond official policy debates to understand the precise ways in which slavery shaped early governance and left its mark on the American political system." —Journal of Interdisciplinary History "Treating fundamental subjects—war, territory, law, property, labor, and citizenship—this resonant book powerfully advances our understanding of how slavery constituted political life in antebellum America. Its sharply-etched arguments about institutions, power, and policy illuminate how a ‘house divided’ by race and region nonetheless could constitute a tightly connected structure." —Ira Katznelson, coauthor of Liberal Beginnings: Making a Republic for the Moderns "Ericson’s powerful book amply documents how the institution of slavery was not only shaping domestic and foreign policy but also shaping the structure of the federal government itself."—James Huston, author of Calculating the Value of the Union: Property Rights, Slavery, and the Economic Origins of the Civil War Show Less