The work beings by examining the history of slavery in the Thirteen Colonies, including the Atlantic slave trade. It then discusses the role of slavery in the American Revolution, and how the institution of slavery was preserved in the fledgling United States by the Constitution Convention. The work then examines the Haitian Revolution, and the effect it had on U.S. slave owners in the American South. Du Bois concludes his work by analyzing the blockade of Africa and the role of slave-produced cotton in the U.S. economy prior to the American Civil War.