Description
Book SynopsisProfessor Kenneth J. Zanca analyzes the responses of mid-nineteenth century Catholics in America to Mrs. Mary Surratt''s trial and execution for her part in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. These reactions are placed within various contexts: the Catholic Church during America''s Civil War; the wider secular and Protestant culture of the Victorian era; the post-assassination climate of 1865; and Vatican politics. Previous studies of Mrs. Surratt have explored the issues of her guilt or innocence. This work takes a line of inquiry not yet explored by historians, Catholic or otherwise, in that it investigates reactions to her execution through the eyes of contemporary Catholic and Protestant witnesses and commentators.
Trade ReviewKenneth J. Zanca has made a welcome addition to one small but important aspect of what remains a seriously understudied topic: Catholics in the South....Important contribution to social and religious history. -- David O'Connell * American Catholic Studies, 2009, Vol 120 No 1 *
Zanca's book contains some interesting information about the Surratt case. * The Catholic Historical Review, April 2010 *
While the literature on Abraham Lincoln's assassination is extensive, Ken Zanca has filled an important void overlooked by previous authors. Zanca's is an important work that corrects many misconceptions about Mary Surratt's trial and execution as viewed by the Catholic community. This study is long overdue. -- Dr. Edward Steers, Jr., Blood on the Moon and The Trial
Table of ContentsPart 1 I: Background on Mary Suratt Chapter 2 Maryland's Catholics and the Funeral of Abraham Lincoln Chapter 3 Who Was Mary Surratt and How Catholic Was She? Chapter 4 The Particulars of Her Trial Chapter 5 Mrs. Suratt, One Hundred Forty-two Years Later Part 6 II: Responses of Catholics to Mrs. Surratt Chapter 7 Introduction: Secular and Non-Catholic Reactions to the Execution of Mrs. Surratt Chapter 8 The Civil War Era Catholic Press on the Trial and Execution of Mary Surratt Chapter 9 Pope Pius IX and the Fate of the Lincoln Conspirators Chapter 10 Was John P. Brophy Really Amator Justitiae? Another Possibility Explored Chapter 11 Ripples and Concluding Remarks Part 12 Appendices Part 13 Selected Bibliography by Topics Part 14 Index Part 15 About the Author
