# Recommend a balanced book about the Civil War and slavery **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557 "2020-06-12T19:31:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/1 "2020-06-12T19:31:37Z")
Recommend a book by a credible author that does not have its own political agenda. Factually breaks down the causes of the war, and the following elimination of slavery. Examines the roles of the major political parties in these matters. Maybe I am poisoning the well by mentioning Civil War and slavery in the same breath. If so feel free to recommend two different books. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/2 "2020-06-12T20:33:27Z")
I’m in the middle of it right now (so no spoilers please) but I’m enjoying _Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation, 1861-1865_ by William F. Klingaman. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/3 "2020-06-12T21:29:20Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m in the middle of it right now (so no spoilers please) but I’m enjoying _Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation, 1861-1865_ by William F. Klingaman. They lose him after the theater scene ---
**Author:** ![sjankis630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sjankis630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjankis630)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/4 "2020-06-12T21:34:58Z")
Mrs Lincoln should ask for a refund for one ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/5 "2020-06-12T22:00:15Z")
Yuk yuk, youse guys. 😛 Seriously, OP, maybe take a look at the Lincoln Prize-winning [Freedment & Southern Society Project’s _Free at Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Freedom, and the Civil War_](http://www.freedmen.umd.edu/falpg.htm)? Like the FSSP work in general, it consists largely of contemporary original source documents, so you can understand the historical events largely through the words of the historical actors themselves. A number of excerpts from the documents can be read at the above link. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/6 "2020-06-13T12:44:19Z")
Thank you for contributions so far. I am interested in a historical review that answers the questions: What were the underlying motivations of the Civil War? It seems to be widely accepted that the war was fought over slavery but you still see people arguing about it (“It was about states’ rights!”), and I suspect there are nuances. What were the positions of the political parties both pre- and post-war, related to the war itself and slavery? Some modern-day Republicans claim virtue by association by point to Lincoln as a Republican and demonizing the Civil War era actions of Democrats (“Southern Democrats supported the slavery, started the war, started the KKK,” etc.). Some claim that the parties have reversed their role over the years on slavery and subsequently civil rights but others claim that’s a myth. History is never as simple as anyone wants to believe, and it’s very difficult to get a true understanding of what happened over 150 years ago. People do not even have a universal understanding of what’s happening _right now_. I am not looking to debate those questions in this thread, just get references so I can get a little smarter. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/7 "2020-06-13T13:05:29Z")
Perhaps if you told us some Civil War books you’ve read that you found not credible or authors of such books you believe have political agendas it will help narrow the field. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/8 "2020-06-13T15:36:02Z")
You might check out _America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union_ by Fergus Bordewich. It’s about the political events of 1850, which is a good starting point for the road to the Civil War. It’s the point when the older generation of politicians like Calhoun, Clay, and Webster turned over power to the incoming Civil War generation of politicians like Davis, Douglas, and Seward. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/9 "2020-06-13T16:46:10Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > Perhaps if you told us some Civil War books you’ve read that you found not credible or authors of such books you believe have political agendas it will help narrow the field. Exactly none, which is why I am seeking advice. I don’t waste to waste time wading through random books to find out they are crap. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/10 "2020-06-13T18:33:39Z")
I probably shouldn’t post at all! I’ve read a grand total of one (1) book on the Civil War; and that book is neither balanced nor objective; the events it describes are mostly over by 1859; and it focuses on a single man, rather than politics or slavery in general. (Although focused on that single man, it does take looks at his friends and enemies, and the social and political issues of the time.) But (paradoxically?) such a focused book may give you a richer view of the real picture than you’d get from a more general summary. Thanks for reminding me of this book — I think I’ll re-read it. (Find a pro-slavery book to read after this one, if you wish, for a “balanced” perspective. :rolleyes:) The book I speak of was written by David S. Reynolds, a prize-winning biographer who has written several books set in the 19th century or the Civil War era more specifically. The name of the book is _ **John Brown Abolitionist:** The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights_. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/11 "2020-06-13T18:50:49Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Exactly none, which is why I am seeking advice. I don’t waste to waste time wading through random books to find out they are crap. Once you find the names of some books, you can read reviews of them in respectable places, which should help you understand their position and help you weed out the crap. Not an area of interest to me, so I don’t have any recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/12 "2020-06-13T19:25:38Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Thank you for contributions so far. I am interested in a historical review that answers the questions: > > What were the underlying motivations of the Civil War? It seems to be widely accepted that the war was fought over slavery but you still see people arguing about it (“It was about states’ rights!”), and I suspect there are nuances. The people who seceded wrote openly about their reasons for doing so. You don’t need a modern book to explain it to you; just go to the source. > **[The Declaration of Causes of Seceding States](https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/declaration-causes-seceding-states)** > > The Declaration of Causes made by Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Once you read this, you will see that the claim of “states rights” is nonsense. One of the South’s complaints was that the federal government wasn’t forcing abolitionist states to enforce fugitive slave laws, despite their own individual stance on the issue. (Additionally, if you read the confederate constitution, you will note that it expressly forbade states from outlawing slavery - so much for deference to “states rights”). ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/13 "2020-06-13T19:33:21Z")
[Battle Cry of Freedom](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Cry-Freedom-Penguin-history/dp/0140125183) by James M. McPherson is very well regarded. I thought it was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/14 "2020-06-13T19:41:01Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > The book I speak of was written by David S. Reynolds, a prize-winning biographer who has written several books set in the 19th century or the Civil War era more specifically. The name of the book is _ **John Brown Abolitionist:** The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights_. Another worthwhile read on John Brown is [Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War](https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Rising-Brown-Sparked-Civil/dp/0312429266) by Tony Horwitz. He also wrote the excellent historical/cultural Civil War travelogue, [Confederates in the Attic](https://www.amazon.com/Confederates-Attic-Dispatches-Unfinished-Civil/dp/067975833X/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_2/145-4579609-5594238?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=067975833X&pd_rd_r=8a74f3bd-c221-4be7-86cf-427b2ba708c3&pd_rd_w=Cr5O2&pd_rd_wg=dPySn&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=RWKJGJHJE7PTT9G7FX34&psc=1&refRID=RWKJGJHJE7PTT9G7FX34) and a similar book where he retraced Fredrick Law Olmstead’s pre-Civil War travels as a reporter for the New York Times, [Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101980303/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/15 "2020-06-13T20:43:03Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Exactly none, which is why I am seeking advice. I don’t waste to waste time wading through random books to find out they are crap. Okay, let’s take a step back. The first thing you should probably do is read a good general history of the war so you understand the basic stream of events. Once you’ve got that context, you can start exploring the deeper nuances. I’d recommend the _American Heritage History of the Civil War_ by Bruce Catton as a good single volume general history of the war. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/16 "2020-06-13T21:27:47Z")
I don’t think you will find any legitimate modern analysis of the Civil War that gives credence to the idea that the main reason for the conflict was **not** the right to own slaves. At least I would be extremely surprised. The states’ rights argument is something white southerners traditionally lie to themselves with. ---
**Author:** ![str8cashhomie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@str8cashhomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/str8cashhomie)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/17 "2020-06-13T21:31:06Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > What were the underlying motivations of the Civil War? It seems to be widely accepted that the war was fought over slavery but you still see people arguing about it (“It was about states’ rights!”), and I suspect there are nuances. This aspect of the civil war really isn’t nuanced. Many of the seceding states themselves cited preservation of slavery in their [articles of secession](https://www.historynet.com/which-states-referred-to-slavery-in-their-cause-of-secession.htm) and slavery was explicitly protected in the [confederate constitution](https://cwemancipation.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/slavery-in-the-permanent-constitution/). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/18 "2020-06-13T21:31:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > They lose him after the theater scene > [@sjankis630](#): > > Mrs Lincoln should ask for a refund for one ticket. “Except for that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?” ---
**Author:** ![str8cashhomie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@str8cashhomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/str8cashhomie)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/19 "2020-06-13T21:38:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > “Except for that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?” Dude I didn’t get to that part! Thanks for nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557/20 "2020-06-13T23:17:35Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I don’t think you will find any legitimate modern analysis of the Civil War that gives credence to the idea that the main reason for the conflict was **not** the right to own slaves. At least I would be extremely surprised. The states’ rights argument is something white southerners traditionally lie to themselves with. I forgot what book I read it in but basically even if slavery hadn’t existed or slavery had been abolished earlier somehow, the American Civil War would have started at some point regardless because of the massive differences in attitude between the North/West and South. Slavery was obviously the sole reason in 1861 but by 1880 had no civil war taken place due to the North buying out the South’s slaves plan things would be pretty obviously frayed between the South and the rest of the United States due to cultural differences and the South still seeing themselves as the oppressed ones in the grand scheme of things. I’ll have to look it up which one it was. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-balanced-book-about-the-civil-war-and-slavery/855557.md?page=2)