West of Slavery

Waite has done deep research and uncovered the fascinating history of support for slavery and the Confederacy in the antebellum American West. Compelling research and argument. Waite demonstrates conclusively why the machinations of pro-southerners in California, New Mexico, and elsewhere were a genuine concern for the Lincoln government, not a sideshow or historical curiosity. The depth of support in this region helps reorient our understanding of the South's potential prior to the Civil War.