Kristen Epps

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My research interests include slavery and abolition, Bleeding Kansas, antebellum reform movements, and the Civil War. I also dabble in religious history in my spare time. I have not filled out an entry for each and every paper, review, and presentation here, so for more complete information please consult my CV or my website, www.kristenepps.com.
Phone: (501) 450-5616
Address: University of Central Arkansas
Department of History
201 Donaghey Avenue
Conway, AR 72035

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Books by Kristen Epps

Slavery on the Periphery: The Kansas-Missouri Border in the Antebellum and Civil War Eras

Slavery on the Periphery traces the rise and fall of chattel slavery on the Kansas-Missouri borde... more Slavery on the Periphery traces the rise and fall of chattel slavery on the Kansas-Missouri border from the earliest years of American settlement through the Civil War, exploring how its presence shaped life on this critical geographical, political, and social fault line. Kristen Epps explores how this dynamic, small-scale system--characterized by slaves' diverse occupations, close contact between slaves and slaveholders, a robust hiring market, and abroad marriages--emerged from an established upper South slaveholding culture. Awareness of space and local landscapes was also a defining feature of slaves' experiences, because slave mobility could be a powerful means of resistance. This mobility became particularly crucial when the sectional conflict escalated in the 1850s and 1860s, as both enslaved and white residents became central players in a violent national struggle over the future of slavery in America.

Drawing on extensive archival research, Epps makes clear that slavery's expansion into Kansas was more than a theoretical, ideological debate. Chattel slavery was already extending its grasp into the West. By foregrounding African Americans' place in the border narrative, Epps illustrates how slavery's presence on this geographic periphery set the stage for the Civil War and emancipation here, as it did elsewhere in the United States.

In this thesis, I examine how the Secret Committee of Six, a group of radical abolitionists who f... more In this thesis, I examine how the Secret Committee of Six, a group of radical abolitionists who funded John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859, defined their role in the greater movement for black emancipation. I present a before-and-after picture of the guiding principles and motivations that drove these six men, particularly their growing acceptance of violent means. I conclude that the Six perceived their role in abolitionism differently after the raid. Before the incident at Harper’s Ferry, all of the Six were active in the abolitionist movement, and for the most part they remained active in the years after the raid. After 1859, however, the nature of sectional relations had been altered so dramatically that abolitionists had to adjust their thinking. Thus, the Six began to see their role in the movement in a new light. Furthermore, the Six did not significantly alter their attitudes toward militant abolitionism—but, now that they had seen the far-reaching consequences of violence, they were somewhat less comfortable with its use. Still, none of them denied that violence was indeed necessary for the downfall of the slave system. It has not been made available through ProQuest.