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The article discusses the social and legal standing of textiles and clothing during the antebellum period between the Revolutionary and Civil War in the U.S. The author points out that even slaves and married women, as group who had limited legal rights, had the rights to own their own clothing. Topics include the cost and availability of cloth and clothing, cases of infanticide, escaped slaves and their clothing, and the story of slave James whose fancy striped pantaloons were stolen and recovered after being recognized.

The article discusses the experiences of African American children who were victims of kidnapping and child trafficking during the antebellum period of U.S. history, and the significance of their plight to the antislavery movement in the U.S. It focuses upon gangs of kidnappers who preyed upon children between the ages of six and 16, and the decision making involved by antislavery activists to emphasize the experiences of kidnapped children and the role that the activists played in the establishment of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.