The Gospel of Slavery: A Primer of Freedom

The work assembles short, alphabetically organized poems and prose vignettes that condemn slavery through moral, religious, economic, and political argument. Each letter introduces a focused image or concept—Adam, Bloodhound, Cotton, Driver, Gospel, Fugitives, Kidnapped, Woman, and others—and employs biblical allusion, vivid scenes of pursuit and escape, legal and patriotic rhetoric, and satire of proslavery clergy and planters to expose abuses and call for emancipation. The tone blends didactic exhortation and indignation, contrasting professed rights with the lived realities of bondage and urging justice and social reform.