Trading Freedom

"Dael Norwood reveals that much of America's early growth and self-definition was shaped by its multifarious relations with China. Correspondingly, he shows that America was not solely the product of its Atlantic engagements; the Pacific always played a critical role in economic, social, and cultural development. Norwood weaves together arguments about commerce, foreign policy, and immigration, connecting the growing US presence in the "China trade" with domestic developments, including Federalist-era debates over political economy and trade policy, the building of the transcontinental railroad, and the looming sectional struggle over slavery"--