Off Topic: Need Help with History

Hi there,
I feel like a sorry excuse of a History student, having just gotten my Masters in it...this is a toughie! I'll give it a shot though. I believe that free labor in the antebellum era concerns the northern labor system, as opposed to the system of slavery in the South. During the antebellum era (1830's-1840's), the northern factory system increased tremendously as the industrial revolution brought a number of mechanical/technological advances. With these changes in technology/factory/and the growth of industry also brought a new ideology among the American middle class/laboring class. The free labor ideology was a principle around which Americans structured their lives/working ideology in hopes that if they worked in these factories, they would soon own their own businesses. During this time period, there was a shift away from an agricultural way of life as society moved towards urban growth and industrialization. This obviously affected the way in which society was structured, the ideals people valued, and family structure/gender roles. I have no idea if this helped but I have done alot of work with this period around the Civil War. I think the free labor system is this phase in the Northern economy as it shifted towards industrialization. Hope this was of some help. If you can look up some college websites/libraries, or a trustworthy database like JSTOR, scholarly articles, or a historical society website...good luck my dear!