Politics and America in Crisis: The Coming of the Civil War

by Michael Green

Overview

This book unravels the political developments that made the Civil War unavoidable.

Politics and America in Crisis: The Coming of the Civil War examines the developments between 1846 and 1861 that pushed the nation to war to see what they reveal about the North, the South, the people leading them, and the issues separating them.

As shown here, in the decade and a half before the actual outbreak of the war, the mostly southern Democratic Party's fortunes veered from a presidential election victory in 1852 to the shocking loss of Abraham Lincoln in 1860—an event that marked the coming of age of the young antislavery Republican Party. In examining that sharp reversal, Politics and America in Crisis covers a wide range of key events, including efforts to ban slavery in territories won in the Mexican-American War, the Dred Scott decision, and John Brown's raids.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275990954
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/30/2009
Series:	Reflections on the Civil War Era Series
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael S. Green is professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

What People are Saying About This

Stanley Harrold

"Dramatic political clashes between antislavery and proslavery forces characterized the United States as it moved toward Civil War. Michael S. Green's fast-paced narrative of this prewar struggle combines a comprehensive understanding of the divisive forces at work with insightful portraits of leading figures. This is a book that will appeal to anyone with an interest in the events that brought on America's most important war."

Stanley Harrold

"Dramatic political clashes between antislavery and proslavery forces characterized the United States as it moved toward Civil War. Michael S. Green's fast-paced narrative of this prewar struggle combines a comprehensive understanding of the divisive forces at work with insightful portraits of leading figures. This is a book that will appeal to anyone with an interest in the events that brought on America's most important war."

—

Stanley Harrold, author of The Rise of Aggressive Abolitionism: Addresses to the Slaves

Heather Cox Richardson

"This expert and engaging account of the coming of the Civil War brings the sectional conflict to life. Covering all the major political events of the 1850s—including the literary and social events that became political—Michael Green's account focuses on the people creating the crisis: men determined to promote their own vision of the nation and convinced that their opponents were traitors. This well-written history of the 1850s shows how the struggle to keep slavery out of the West became not only the tinder for the Civil War, but also a fight over the soul of America."

Heather Cox Richardson

"This expert and engaging account of the coming of the Civil War brings the sectional conflict to life. Covering all the major political events of the 1850s--including the literary and social events that became political--Michael Green's account focuses on the people creating the crisis: men determined to promote their own vision of the nation and convinced that their opponents were traitors. This well-written history of the 1850s shows how the struggle to keep slavery out of the West became not only the tinder for the Civil War, but also a fight over the soul of America."

—

Heather Cox Richardson, Professor of History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War

Editorial Reviews

"As the author says, his book is intended for undergraduates and general readers, but drawing on the best new scholarship, it is thorough enough to be useful to graduate students and teachers as well. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." - Choice

From the Publisher