A Documentary History of the American Civil War Era

by MacKey, Thomas C.

• ISBN13: 9781572338692
• ISBN10: 1572338695
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-11-30
• Publisher: Univ of Tennessee Pr

Summary

A Documentary History of the American Civil War Era is the first comprehensive collection of public policy actions, political speeches, and judicial decisions related to the American Civil War. This three-volume set gives scholars, teachers, and students easy access to the full texts of the most important, fundamental documents as well as hard-to-find, rarely published primary sources on this critical period in U.S. history. The first volume of the series, Legislative Achievements, contains legislation passed in response to the turmoil seizing the country on the brink of, during, and in the wake of the Civil War. Forthcoming are volume 2, Political Arguments, which contains voices of politicians, political party platforms, and administrative speeches, and volume 3, Judicial Decisions, which provides judicial opinions and decisions as the Civil War raged in the courtrooms as well as on the battlefields. Organized chronologically, each of the selections is preceded by an introductory headnote that explains the document's historical significance and traces its lasting impact. These headnotes provide insight into not only law and public policy but also the broad sweep of issues that engaged Civil Warera America. Legislative Achievements features some of the most momentous and enduring public policy documents from the time, beginning with the controversial September 15, 1850, Fugitive Slave Act and concluding with the June 18, 1878, Posse Comitatus Act. Both military and nonmilitary legislation constitute this part, including the April 19, 1861, proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln declaring a naval blockade on Southern ports and Confederate President Jefferson Davis's proclamation authorizing blockade runners to attack Northern shipping, both issued on the same day. Nonmilitary legislation includes statutes affecting the postwar period, such as the 1862 Homestead Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and all four of the Reconstruction Acts. Also in this section are the three constitutional amendments, the Habeas Corpus Acts of 1863 and 1867, the Freedman's Bureau Acts of 1865 and 1866, and the 1867 Tenure of Office Act together with President Andrew Johnson's message vetoing the Act. A Documentary History of the American Civil War Era is an essential acquisition for academic and public libraries in addition to being a valuable resource for students of the Civil War and Reconstruction, legal history, public policy, and nineteenth-century American history. THOMAS C. MACKEY is a professor of history at the University of Louisville and adjunct Professor of Law at Brandeis School of Law. He is the author of Pornography on Trial (2002) and Pursuing Johns (2005).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: A Documentary History of the American Civil War Era	p. xi
Legislative Achievements
Fugitive Slave Act, September 18, 1850	p. 5
Kansas-Nebraska Act, May 30, 1854	p. 11
Crittenden Compromise, December 18, 1860	p. 29
Proposed Thirteenth Amendment, 1860	p. 33
Lincoln's Proclamation, April 15, 1861	p. 37
Magoffin and Kentucky Neutrality, April 16, May 16, 1861	p. 39
Proclamations on Blockade and Marque, April 19, 1861	p. 41
Crittenden-Johnson Resolutions, July 22 and 23, 1861	p. 45
First Confiscation Act, August 6, 1861	p. 47
Seditious Conspiracy Act, July 31, 1861	p. 49
Abolishment of Slavery in the District of Columbia Act, April 16, 1862	p. 51
Confederate Conscription Act, April 17, and "20 Negro" Amendment, October 11, 1862	p. 55
Homestead Act, May 20, 1862	p. 63
Pacific Railroad Act, July 1, 1862	p. 67
Morrill Land Grant Act, July 2, 1862	p. 81
Non-issued Lincoln Veto to Second Confiscation Act, July 12, 1862	p. 85
Supplement, Abolishment of Slavery in the District of Columbia Act, July 12, 1862	p. 89
Judiciary Act, July 15, 1862	p. 91
Militia Act, July 17, 1862	p. 93
Second Confiscation Act, July 17, 1862	p. 97
Second Confiscation Act Supplement, July 17, 1862	p. 101
West Virginia Act, December 31, 1862	p. 103
National Banking Act, February 25, 1863	p. 107
Federal Conscription Act, March 3, 1863	p. 129
Habeas Corpus Act, March 3, 1863	p. 139
Freedmen's Bureau Act, March 3, 1865	p. 145
Thirteenth Amendment, December 6, 1865	p. 149
President Johnson's Veto, Freedmen's Bureau Act, February 19, 1866	p. 151
President Johnson's Veto, Civil Rights Act, March 27, 1866	p. 159
Civil Rights Act, April 9, 1866	p. 169
Freedmen's Bureau Act, July 16, 1866	p. 173
President Johnson's Veto, Freedmen's Bureau Act, July 16, 1866	p. 179
Judicial Circuits Act, July 23, 1866	p. 185
Habeas Corpus Act, February 5, 1867	p. 187
Reconstruction Act [First], March 2, 1867	p. 191
President Johnson's Veto, First Reconstruction Act, March 2, 1867	p. 195
Tenure of Office Act, March 2, 1867	p. 209
President Johnson's Veto, Tenure of Office Act, March 2, 1867	p. 213
Anti-Peonage Act, March 2, 1867	p. 221
Reconstruction Act [Second], March 23, 1867	p. 223
President Johnson's Veto, Second Reconstruction Act, March 23, 1867	p. 229
Reconstruction Act [Third], July 19, 1867	p. 235
President Johnson's Veto, Third Reconstruction Act, July 19, 1867	p. 239
Articles of Impeachment, President Andrew Johnson, February 24, 1868	p. 249
Reconstruction Act [Fourth], March 11, 1868	p. 261
Fourteenth Amendment, July 9, 1868	p. 263
Fifteenth Amendment, February 3, 1870	p. 265
Enforcement Act, May 30, 1870	p. 267
Enforcement Act, April 20, 1871	p. 277
Civil Rights Act, March 1, 1875	p. 283
Congressional Electoral Commission, January 29, 1877	p. 287
Posse Comitatus Act, June 18, 1878	p. 293
Chronology	p. 295
Selected Readings	p. 301
Index	p. 309
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