This work investigates the intellectual and theological contributions of Lemuel Haynes, a prominent 18th-century black minister, to determine how his religious convictions shaped his political stance against slavery. John Saillant, a historian specializing in early American thought, utilizes a combination of Haynes's published sermons and rare archival documents to reconstruct the life of this unique figure. The book argues that Haynes’s identity as a Congregationalist minister provided the framework for his critique of racial inequality and his advocacy for republican ideals during the founding era of the United States.

Scholars recognize this text as a foundational study for understanding the intellectual history of black Americans in the early republic. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of Haynes's complex theological arguments.