Oxford University Press, USA
Prelude to Civil War
Prelude to Civil War
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When William Freehling's Prelude to Civil War first appeared in 1965 it was immediately hailed as a brilliant and incisive study of the origins of the Civil War. Book Week called it fresh, exciting, and convincing, while The Virginia Quarterly Review praised it as, quite simply, history at
its best. It was equally well-received by historical societies, garnering the Allan Nevins History Prize as well as a Bancroft Prize, the most prestigious history award of all. Now once again available, Prelude to Civil War is still the definitive work on the subject, and one of the most important
in ante-bellum studies.
It tells the story of the Nullification Controversy in South Carolina, describing how from 1816 to 1836 aristocratic planters of the Palmetto State tumbled from a contented and prosperous life of elegant balls and fine Madeira wines to a world rife with economic distress, guilt over slavery,
and apprehension of slave rebellion. It shows in compelling detail how this reversal of fortune led the political leaders of South Carolina down the path to ever more radical states rights doctrines: in 1832 they were seeking to nullify federal law by refusing to obey it; four years later some of
them were considering secession.
As the story unfolds, we meet a colorful and skillfully drawn cast of characters, among them John C. Calhoun, who hoped nullifcation would save both his highest priority, slavery, and his next priority, union; President Andrew Jackson, who threatened to hang Calhoun and lead federal troops
into South Carolina; Denmark Vesey, who organized and nearly brought off a slave conspiracy; and Martin Van Buren, the Little Magician, who plotted craftily to replace Calhoun in Jackson's esteem. These and other important figures come to life in these pages, and help to tell a tale--often in
their own words--central to an understanding of the war which eventually engulfed the United States.
Demonstrating how a profound sensitivity to the still-shadowy slavery issue--not serious economic problems alone--led to the Nullification Controversy, Freehling revises many theories previously held by historians. He describes how fear of abolitionists and their lobbying power in Congress
prompted South Carolina's leaders to ban virtually any public discussion of the South's peculiar institution, and shows that while the Civil War had many beginnings, none was more significant than this single, passionate controversy.
Written in a lively and eminently readable style, Prelude to Civil War is must reading for anyone trying to discover the roots of the conflict that soon would tear the Union apart.
Author: William W. Freehling
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 06/04/1992
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.17lbs
Size: 8.48h x 5.58w x 1.08d
ISBN: 9780195076813
its best. It was equally well-received by historical societies, garnering the Allan Nevins History Prize as well as a Bancroft Prize, the most prestigious history award of all. Now once again available, Prelude to Civil War is still the definitive work on the subject, and one of the most important
in ante-bellum studies.
It tells the story of the Nullification Controversy in South Carolina, describing how from 1816 to 1836 aristocratic planters of the Palmetto State tumbled from a contented and prosperous life of elegant balls and fine Madeira wines to a world rife with economic distress, guilt over slavery,
and apprehension of slave rebellion. It shows in compelling detail how this reversal of fortune led the political leaders of South Carolina down the path to ever more radical states rights doctrines: in 1832 they were seeking to nullify federal law by refusing to obey it; four years later some of
them were considering secession.
As the story unfolds, we meet a colorful and skillfully drawn cast of characters, among them John C. Calhoun, who hoped nullifcation would save both his highest priority, slavery, and his next priority, union; President Andrew Jackson, who threatened to hang Calhoun and lead federal troops
into South Carolina; Denmark Vesey, who organized and nearly brought off a slave conspiracy; and Martin Van Buren, the Little Magician, who plotted craftily to replace Calhoun in Jackson's esteem. These and other important figures come to life in these pages, and help to tell a tale--often in
their own words--central to an understanding of the war which eventually engulfed the United States.
Demonstrating how a profound sensitivity to the still-shadowy slavery issue--not serious economic problems alone--led to the Nullification Controversy, Freehling revises many theories previously held by historians. He describes how fear of abolitionists and their lobbying power in Congress
prompted South Carolina's leaders to ban virtually any public discussion of the South's peculiar institution, and shows that while the Civil War had many beginnings, none was more significant than this single, passionate controversy.
Written in a lively and eminently readable style, Prelude to Civil War is must reading for anyone trying to discover the roots of the conflict that soon would tear the Union apart.
Author: William W. Freehling
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 06/04/1992
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.17lbs
Size: 8.48h x 5.58w x 1.08d
ISBN: 9780195076813
About the Author
William W. Freehling is the Thomas B. Lockwood Professor of American History at the State University of New York, Buffalo. He is also the author of the The Road to Disunion, the first volume of which was published by Oxford in 1990.
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