Description
Book SynopsisIn this landmark book, Daniel Crofts examines a little-known episode in the most celebrated aspect of Abraham Lincoln's life: his role as the Great Emancipator. Crofts argues that Lincoln no intention of being the Great Emancipator when he took office. Only amid the crucible of combat did the war to save the Union become a war for freedom.
Trade ReviewA well-written and exhaustively researched study" -
Civil War Monitor"A highly readable account of a seldom-remembered feature of early Civil War history. Highly recommended." -
Choice"A well researched and thought-provoking book about Abraham Lincoln and his position on slavery." -
North Carolina Historical Review"An essential study of Republican ideology and the political efforts to prevent secession in the months following Lincoln's election." -
The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society"With impressive research in politicians' speeches and correspondence, Crofts reconstructs the tangled legislative history of the amendment during the secession winter of 1860-1861, as moderates North and South struggled to find a compromise that would forestall disunion and war." -
Journal of American History"A worthwhile addition to our literature on the Civil War and the slavery issue in general." -
American Historical Review"With astute inferential skill and admittedly sparse archival attestations to build from, he pieces together the processes and hints of backroom deals that carried the amendment through both chambers by the narrowest of margins and through deft parliamentary maneuvering and overnight vote reversals." -
Reviews in History"Meticulously detailed. . . . A thorough look at the dissension that tore the country apart." -
Kirkus Reviews"[An] intelligent and absorbing book. . . . Challenges the dominant emancipationist narrative and forces a new look at the dynamics and directions of politics and public interest during the secession crisis." -
Library Journal
