The war that forged a nation : why the Civil War still matters / James McPherson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McPherson, James M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

War and society--United States--History.

War and society.

Social change--United States--History.

Social change.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Influence.

United States.

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

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

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 2015.

Summary:

More than 140 years ago, Mark Twain observed that the Civil War had ""uprooted institutions that were centuries old, changed the politics of a people, transformed the social life of half the country, and wrought so profoundly upon the entire national character that the influence cannot be measured short of two or three generations."" In fact, five generations have passed, and Americans are still trying to measure the influence of the immense fratricidal conflict that nearly tore the nation apart. In The War that Forged a Nation, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson considers why the Civil War remains so deeply embedded in our national psyche and identity.

Contents:

Why the Civil War Still Matters

Mexico, California, and the Coming of the Civil War

A Just War?

Death and Destruction in the Civil War

American Navies and British Neutrality During the Civil War

The Rewards of Risk-Taking : Two Civil War Admirals

How Did Freedom Come?

Lincoln, Slavery, and Freedom

A. Lincoln, Commander in Chief

The Commander Who Would Not Fight : McClellan and Lincoln

Lincoln's Legacy for Our Time

War and Peace in the Post-Civil War South.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

0-19-937579-8

0-19-937578-X

OCLC:

900081388