Freedom, Union, and Power: Lincoln and His Party in the Civil War (North's Civil War) [Hardcover]

Michael Green (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0823222756 | ISBN-13: 978-0823222759 | Publication Date: April 28, 2004 | Edition: 1

Freedom, Union, and Power analyzes the beliefs of the Republican Party during the Civil War, how those beliefs changed, and what those changes foreshadowed for the future. The party's pre-war ideology of free soil, free labor, free menchanged with the Republican ascent to power in the White House. With Lincoln's election, Republicans faced something new-responsibility for the government. With responsibility came the need to wage a war for the survival of that government, the country, and the party. And with victory in the war came responsibility responsibility for saving the Union-by ending slavery-and for pursuing policies that fit into their belief in a strong, free Union.Michael Green shows how Republicans had to wield federal power to stop a rebellion against freedom and union. Crucial to their use of federal power was their hope of keeping that power-the intersection of policy and politics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a valuable addition to the literature on Civil War politics..." -- Indiana Magazine of History

"Green provides a lucid description and explanation of the new appointments to the Supreme Court..." -- Civil War History

"Useful to anyone interested in the complexities of Civil War politics." -- North & South, March 2005

About the Author

Michael Green is professor of history at the Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Fordham University Press; 1 edition (April 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823222756
• ISBN-13: 978-0823222759
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,308,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An Academic Text that Makes for Fascinating Reading, January 12, 2005

By 

Keith Sargent (Rockville, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freedom, Union, and Power: Lincoln and His Party in the Civil War (North's Civil War) (Hardcover)

This text is written for the academic crowd -- no pictures, extensive endnotes, and a bibliography so long (38 pages) that's its divided into six sections. It assumes the reader already knows the main events leading up to the Civil War, the battles that took place, and the leading political and military actors. However, it reads easily (unlike most academic texts) with fascinating quotes from letters, newspapers, and speeches woven around the themes that united the Republicans: Freedom, Union, and Power.

To illustrate the author's style of writing, here's a randomly selected sentence from page 180:

"Ben Wade, the waspish radical center from Ohio, had no use for those to whom the Constitution was 'a stumbling block,' nor did his equally bellicose friend and colleague, Zachariah Chandler of Michigan, cotton to those with 'constitution on the brain.'"

Although primarily intended for university and college libraries, Civil War buffs with $65 to spare will find this book rewarding and entertaining. Quotes, trivia, and political anecdotes are sprinkled liberally throughout the chapters and supplied in such mind-boggling detail that I now know why the author spent several years struggling though the research and writing it required.

Since I don't have a Ph.D. in Civil War history, as the author does, I was irritated by the fact that a chronology of important events was not included. However, I found a nice one at: <www.coax.net/people/lwf/cwchron.htm>

The ten chapters are organized in a loose chronological order:

1. Freedom, Union, and Power: The Civil War Republican Party
2. Free Labor, Freed Labor, and Free Capital
3. The Great Secession Winter and the Politics of Power and Responsibility
4. Lincoln's Warring Cabinet: Many Secretaries, One Ideology
5. The Republicans and Slavery
6. Law and Order: The Republicans, the Supreme Court and the Constitution
7. The Paradox of Power: Republicans and the Military
8. The Republican Party, the Union Party and Lincoln's Reelection
9. Reforming and Remaking the Nation
10. Conclusion: Successes and Failures of Republican Idealogy

In summary, this book gives a detailed, yet entertaining, analysis of the core beliefs of the Republican party during the Civil War and how their ideology shaped political, military, and economic policy during Lincoln's administration. The book also shows how conflicts in these core beliefs, between conservative and radical Republicans, evolved during the Civil War and shaped Republican party practices.

Full disclosure: I first met Mike in a college history class more than 20 years ago, but even though we are now separated by a thousand miles, we are still the best of friends.