I would like to echo Terry Oggel's point and extend it. Whatever the historical reality of border states in the 1840s, Twain wrote HUCK for the historical reality of the 1880s. More than two decades had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation when Twain released his novel. In order for it to be meaningful to his readers - and now to us - it can't be primarily about slavery. It can - and is, I think - about race relations in the wake of race slavery. That said, Twain always paid close attention to the details of time periods in which he set his fiction. His research for historical fiction was extensive and impressive. While it isn't clear that he researched the Missouri slave mind of the 1840s as he did Joan of Arc later - he likely felt he didn't have to, having witnessed that world himself - the historical sensibility he brought to HUCK seems of a piece with that of his later historical fiction: accurate, in most places, and plausible within the confines of his additions to the fictive world. Excellent discussion, with fine points everywhere. I look forward to reading more. Andy Hoffman