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The article focuses on the history of civil rights for African Americans in relation to the history of Black churches. The author explores the modern meaning of "civil rights" as it changed in the 19th century, examines the private law of religion and the history of contract law, and discusses the theme of the Black freedom struggle.

The article discusses the relationship dynamics between between slavery and family, using several examples from the United States the Gold Coast in Africa. The author states that family relations among free white people were also impacted by the power and relational dynamics of slavery. The author also discusses the effect of abolition of slavery in the Western world and how it shifted notions of family, kinship, and property. The author also discusses the centrality of marriage in the emancipation process.