America on the Eve of the Civil War

by Ayers, Edward L.

• ISBN13: 9780813930633
• ISBN10: 0813930634
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-09-15
• Publisher: Univ of Virginia Pr

Summary

Little happened in 1859 that would have told Americans that they were living on the precipice of a continent-wide war and the end of the most powerful slave society in the world. Yet, within eighteen months of the end of 1859 conflict descended on the nation. Familiar characters play unfamiliar roles in 1859. Robert E. Lee is in command of United States troops at Harpers Ferry. Tom Jackson is still a math professor at VMI, though he will lead cadets to ensure order at the hanging of John Brown at the very end of the year. Sam Grant is a bill collector in St. Louis, and "Cump" Sherman is heading up a military school in Louisiana. Jefferson Davis is still a United States Senator, and Abraham Lincoln is a successful lawyer and failed senatorial candidate with good prospects.To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Virginia's participation in the Civil War, seventeen of the nation's top public historians and scholars gathered to take part in an unscripted, open dialogue on the state of the nation just before the South seceded. The rich and surprising discussions that followed form the contents of this unique book.Working in a Meet the Press-style format, the participants consider the key questions facing America on the eve of the war: What factors are fueling the booming national expansion and economic growth, and what roles do they play in the national conversation? Will the slave-based economy, at its peak in 1859, continue to thrive? What will be the long-term effects of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry? And, at a time when the two major political parties must respond to growing advocacy for Southern rights, what is the outlook for the election of 1860? Limiting themselves to what would have been known or surmised in 1859, the roundtable participants engage in a stimulating series of discussions that bring these issues vibrantly into the present tense.Participants: Edward L. Ayers * Jean H. Baker * David W. Blight * Christy S. Coleman * Daniel W. Crofts * Charles B. Dew * Gary W. Gallagher * Walter Johnson * Robert C. Kenzer * Gregg D. Kimball * Nelson D. Lankford * Lauranett L. Lee * David S. Reynolds * Manisha Sinha * Elizabeth R. Varon * Clarence E. Walker * Joan WaughPublished in association with the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
1859 Chronology	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Opening Remarks	p. 10
Taking Stock of the Nation in 1859	p. 15
The Future of Virginia and the South	p. 35
First Question-and-Answer Session	p. 56
Making Sense of John Brown's Raid	p. 69
Predictions for the Election of 1860	p. 91
Second Question-and-Answer Session	p. 112
Closing Remarks	p. 121
Conclusion: Marking the Civil War Sesquicentennial - Will We Do Better This Time?	p. 123
Notes on Conference Participants	p. 131
Books by Conference Participants	p. 137
Index	p. 141
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