Conflict and Compromise: The Political Economy of Slavery, Emancipation and the American Civil War [Paperback]

Roger L. Ransom (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521311675 | ISBN-13: 978-0521311670 | Publication Date: September 29, 1989

No series of events had a more dramatic impact on the course of American history than the Civil War and the emancipation of four million slaves. This book examines the economic and political factors that led to the attempt by Southerners to dissolve the Union in 1860 and the equally determined effort of Northerners to preserve it. A central thesis of the book is that slavery not only "caused" the Civil War by producing tensions that could not be resolved by compromise; the slave system also played a crucial role in the outcome of the war by crippling the Southern war effort at the same time that emancipation became a unifying cause for the North. The author looks at a century of sectional conflict over slavery and reveals a great irony of the American Civil War. The South suffered a bitter defeat in a war to protect the institution of slavery, even though it is likely that the Constitution of the United States offered the best protection for a slave system. And, despite the abolition of slavery in the United States, equality for Black Americans remained a distant dream.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In his detailed examination of the political and economic factors that brought about the secession crisis, economist-turned-historian Ransom places the institution of slavery squarely at center stage. To Ransom, slavery not only "caused" the Civil War, it also determined its outcome by crippling the Confederate war effort. An irony, of sorts, characterized the long sectional conflict over slavery. The North, as Ransom describes it, fought a costly war to abolish slavery even as most northerners had little interest in emancipating the slaves. The South failed in a devastating war to protect its peculiar institution even as the 1860 U.S Constitution offered it the best protection for a slave system. Ransom's work, somewhat cumbersome in places, still makes for interesting reading. Recommended for colleges and universities with upper-division courses in the South and the Civil War.
- Jason H. Silverman, Winthrop Coll., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Ransom provides a convincing and sophisticated synthesis...Conflict and Compromise is valuable to the specialist as well as the general reader." Journal of Policy History

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (September 29, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521311675
• ISBN-13: 978-0521311670
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on an important aspect of American History, November 30, 2009

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tnameh (Riverside CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Conflict and Compromise: The Political Economy of Slavery, Emancipation and the American Civil War (Paperback)

Roger Ransom is a genius. Very detailed explanation of the causes leading up to the civil war. If you just want to know about the battles, I would not recommend this to you. But if you want to read about what led to the civil war,I would definetly recommend this book.