Race and radicalism in the Union Army / Mark A. Lause.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lause, Mark A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Radicalism--United States--History--19th century.

Radicalism.

Indian Territory--History, Military--19th century.

Indian Territory.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects.

United States.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Participation, African American.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Participation, Indian.

United States. Army of the Frontier.

Brown, John, 1800-1859--Influence.

Brown, John.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (205 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this compelling portrait of interracial activism, Mark A. Lause documents the efforts of radical followers of John Brown to construct a triracial portion of the Federal Army of the Frontier. Mobilized and inspired by the idea of a Union that would benefit all, black, Indian, and white soldiers fought side by side, achieving remarkable successes in the field. Against a backdrop of idealism, racism, greed, and the agonies and deprivations of combat, Lause examines links between radicalism and reform, on the one hand, and racialized interactions among blacks, Indians, and whites, on the other. Lause examines how this multiracial vision of American society developed on the Western frontier. Focusing on the men and women who supported Brown in territorial Kansas, Lause examines the impact of abolitionist sentiment on relations with Indians and the crucial role of nonwhites in the conflict. Through this experience, Indians, blacks, and whites began to see their destinies as interdependent, and Lause discusses the radicalizing impact of this triracial Unionism upon the military course of the war in the upper Trans-Mississippi. The aftermath of the Civil War destroyed much of the memory of the war in the West, particularly in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). The opportunity for an interracial society was quashed by the government's willingness to redefine the lucrative field of Indian exploitation for military and civilian officials and contractors. Assessing the social interrelations, ramifications, and military impact of nonwhites in the Union forces, Race and Radicalism in the Union Army explores the extent of interracial thought and activity among Americans in this period and greatly expands the historical narrative on the Civil War in the West.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Shadow of John Brown

2. A Free West in a Slave Nation

3. War in the Far West

4. Whiteness Challenged

5. The Union as It Never Was

6. Beyond the Map

Conclusion

Notes

Index

Illustrations follow page 66.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613063885

9781283063883

1283063883

9780252091704

0252091701

OCLC:

748780261