Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-184) and index.
Contents
Laws governing manumission, 1807-1857 -- Suing for freedom: slaves in transit -- "Voleur de negres": the strange career of Jean Charles David -- Contracting for freedom and self-purchase -- Freeing slaves by will -- Manumission in New Orleans, 1855-1857 -- The struggle to stay free -- Kidnapping free people of color -- Being in the state in contravention of the law -- Desperation and self-enslavement.