Roots of Secession: Slavery and Politics in Antebellum Virginia (Civil War America)
"Link's analysis is clear and thought-provoking. . . . A compelling argument that does, indeed, place slaves at the center of political sectionalism. . . . Deepens and complicates our notion of political culture and the roots of secession. "—Civil War HistoryBy linking slave behavior with the mounting sectional crisis in Virginia during the 1850s, William Link has opened up a fascinating new approach to studying the politics of the commonwealth in the years leading up to secession.(Charles B. Dew, Williams College)