As my one good classmate has stressed that Eric Foner is THAT man when it comes to this era in American history.<I> Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men</i> tells about the radicalisation of the party. The title is straightforward on what the ideology of the Republican party was pre-civil war. I'm not a fan of American political history, yet this book was fascinating to see the petty politics of the time. There was so much information in <I> Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men</i> and I have no interest in diving into it. If you're interested in the American Civil War/ Reconstruction Era this book is for you.