This much cited work by Johanna Rosa Engelking was originally a Master's thesis. It has now been edited and made available in book form with additional biographical information about this remarkable woman. Coming from a background of education and culture from her pioneer German-Texan ancestors, much involved in early Texas and later US politics, she gained respect and influence in those sympathetic to the ideal of freedom. In this well researched book we discover another interpretation of Texan history that was very much linked to the issue of slavery.