Books by Michele Gillespie

This is a book-length study of free, white craftsmen and tradesmen in the pre-Civil War South. Michele Gillespie details these workers' worlds and tells how they struggled against declining social and economic opportunities while skilled slaves increasingly took up the mechanical, building, clothing, and decorative arts trades.

Separately they were formidable - together they were unstoppable. Despite their intriguing lives and the impact they had on their community, the story of R.J. Reynolds and Katharine Smith Reynolds has never been fully told. Michele Gillespie provides a sweeping account of how R. J. and Katharine succeeded in realizing their American dreams.