![]() States wanted to secede from the Union and not be beholden to the whims of Washington DC. The rise of the Lincoln and the newly formed Republican Party put the south on edge, with their principles, rather than policies, of being anti-slavery. That swing the balance towards a Union where there were more slave states than non. McPherson makes the excellent point that the expansion of the "Union" south and westwards swallowed up new slave states. The first 300 pages of the book are the best in my opinion, where McPherson draws a magnificent line between the end of the Mexican War in 1848 and the first shots of the Civil War (some papers referenced as early as 1851 "first shots of Civil War at Christiana"). I finally settled on Battle Cry For Freedom by James McPherson and am entirely satisfied with the book - it is a brilliant summation of the economic, political and military details before and during the war. Trawling through the masses of Civil War books, it became difficult to choose one alone. There are extensive notes so readers can investigate fully various subjects of the book. It's beautifully written and worth the time it takes you to plow through it. I really believe that any student of American histroy must read this book. It is a thoroughly detailed review of the major causes of the Civil War and if you don't understand it after reading this book, you never will. It is impossible to undestand what the Civil War was without understanding the background, so I fail to understand the complaints of some reviewers that the war only shows up after about 300 or so pages. Battle cry of freedom amazon series#It was actually written as part of a greater series "The Oxford History of the United States." It covers the Civil War era, not just the war itself, and covers about twenty years from 1847-1865. There does seem to be some confusion about the purpose of the book. The idea that Americans would place allegiance to their states over the national governement seems so utterly foreign now, it amazes me to think how so much has changed since those days. He truly brings to life that feeling of utter division that was the Civil War and one wonders how the country ever healed and how it has become so united. McPherson's writing style is quick, clear, and easy to read. This is probably the best one volume book on the Civil War out there. ![]() The students found the book well organized and instructive in the way events were presented.-George Rolleston, Baldwin-Wallace College I certainly will adopt it again when I teach my Honors course next time. There is no finer one-volume history of the Civil War than Jim's book. The finest single volume on the war and its background.- The Washington Post Book World This is historical writing of the highest order.-Hugh Brogan, New York Times Book Review It may actually be the best ever published.I was swept away, feeling as if I had never heard the saga before.Omitting nothing important, whether military, political, or economic, he yet manages to make everything he touches drive the narrative forward. ![]() The best one-volume treatment of I have ever come across. McPherson cements his reputation as one of the finest Civil War historians.Should become a standard general history of the Civil War period-it's one that will stand up for years to come.- Kirkus Reviews Matchless.The book's political and economic discussions are as engrossing as the descriptions of military campaigns and personalities.- Library Journal ![]() It is a superb narrative history, elegantly written.- Philadelphia Inquirer Immediately takes its place as the best one-volume history of the coming of the American Civil War and the war itself. Bright with details and fresh quotations, solid with carefully-arrived-at conclusions, it must surely be, of the 50,000 books written on the Civil War, the finest compression of that national paroxysm ever fitted between two covers.- Los Angeles Times Book Review Williams, Southwestern Historical QuarterlyÄeftly coordinated, gracefully composed, charitably argued and suspensefully paid out, McPherson's book is just the compass of the tumultuous middle years of the 19th century it was intended to be, and as narrative history it is surpassing. Anyone interested in Texas and the republic to which it belongs should set some weeks aside for this big, smart porcupine of a book - Patrick G. ![]()
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