The Civil War Era: Historical Viewpoints

Description

This unique anthology of 32 selections offers viewpoints that encourage student interpretation and class discussion of topics related to the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Selections include social, political, and military perspectives, making this supplement appropriate for any Civil War or advanced U.S. History course. Contents Preface Introduction 1 Reactions to Slavery: In the South and in the North The Travail of Slavery The Experiential Basis of the Northern Antislavery Impulse 2 The Freeport Question: Why Did Lincoln Ask It? The Lincoln-Douglas Debates Famous “Freeport Question” 3 The Republicans: Racists, Nativists, or Antislavery Advocates? The Crisis of the 1850s Nativism and the Creation of a Republican Majority Slavery and the Republican Ideology 4 What Caused the Civil War? The Great Fact of Race Corruption and the Death of the Union 5 Fort Sumter: What Was Lincoln’s Purpose? Lincoln and Fort Sumter The Bringer of War 6 Lincoln as Emancipator: Indecisive or Determined? The Truth about the Emancipation Proclamation Death Warrant for Slavery 7 Lincoln and Blacks: How Tolerant Was He? In Isles beyond the Main Can We All Do Better? 8 The Woman’s Civil War In the Confederacy and in the Union The War and Southern Women The Woman’s National Loyal League 9 The Black People’s Civil War As Civilians and as Soldiers The Faithful Slave Black Glory 10 Was the Civil War Total War? Lincoln and the Strategy of Unconditional Surrender Was the War a Total War? 11 The Final, Outcome: Why Did the South Lose? The Collapse of the Confederacy The Perseverance of the Soldiers 12 The Radical Republicans: Manipulating Politicians or Liberal Statesmen? Reconstruction versus Restoration Politics and Possibilities 13 Political Equality in the Postbellum South: Opposition and Accommodation New Orleans and the Emergence of Political Violence Black Suffrage and White Dissenters 14 Reconstruction in the South: Success or Failure? Triumph of the Conservatives The River Has Its Bend 15 The Compromise of 1877: Historical Fact or Historical Fiction? The Forked Road to Reunion Was There a Compromise of 1877? Yes, There Was a Compromise of 1877