Customer Reviews

The Impending Crisis 1848-1861 (The New American Nation series)

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If you are a Civil War buff or a student of American history, this book is a must have. It is a must read. Potter has written the definitive look at the years leading up to the Civil War, especially the 1850s. The book starts out dealing with the Wilmot Proviso in 1848 and goes right up to the firing on Fort Sumter in 1861. In between, Potter tells us of all the economic, social, and, especially, political causes of the sectional tensions.

The most brilliant thing about Potter's book seems rather simple--he tells the story as the people who lived it saw it. Too often, as Potter himself points out, historians have dealt with the 1850s as simply a precursor to the war or dealt with the issues and somewhat glossed over them because hindsight allowed them to know what was going to happen. Potter tries to leave hindsight out of it and just present the facts as they occurred in the years 1848-1861. What the reader gets is a great view of the people and events of the time as they happened and what their direct causes were.

The many other reviewers will probably do better than I can, but simply put, if you are interested in the antebellum history, the Civil War, American politics, or just looking for a good read, pick up this book. You won't be disappointed.

This is a simply wonderful book. Every statement is footnoted, with references so copious it is mind-boggling. If he says Jefferson Davis had doubts secession, he will provide a footnote referencing a letter or document to back it up. Considering a topic as controversial and prone to apologia and ideological argument, it is a comfort to have the facts so well documented. I love his approach to history. Basically, he says " Here is one interpretation, and here are the facts to support it", then "Here is another, and here are the facts to support it", and if necessary, he points out his own argument, with facts to support it. The result is that even when he is making his own argument, he clearly leaves it to the reader to decide. I learned so much from this book. I have 30 pages to go, and it's one week overdue at the library, which is why I came to amazon.com: to see about buying it. I simply must own this book. Five enthusiastic stars!

David M Potter's book "The Impending Crisis" is magnificent in its vivid portrail of the sectional conflict in the 1850's. If you ever thought the 1850's was merely a prelude to the Civil War, this book will make you think twice. It's vivid descriptions make the 1850's come alive with unique characters and personalities, that make this book a true pleasure to read. The author's dramatic use of words makes for one of the book's greatest impact on the reader. The book is a bit long, but well worth the time and patience it takes to read it. Once you read this book, you'll never look at the 1850's in the same way again.

Abraham Lincoln's 1860 election as President of the United States was the catalyst that set off the American Civil War, but this book traces the political processes that led to that result during the just over a decade between the end of the Mexican War in 1848 and the start of the Civil War with the firing on Fort Sumner in 1861.

Today it is easy to look back and regard the entire process as inevitable. What David Potter does in this classic, first published in 1976, is present the politics behind each step that pushed the sections of the country apart over the slavery issue. One apparent mystery has been what drove the astute politician Stephen Douglas to force through legislation tearing up the Compromise of 1820, which had extended a line from Missouri westward, north of which slavery would not be permitted. It was a colossal blunder that opened what had been a more or less settled issue, fanning the flames of sectionalism needlessly.

His Kansas-Nebraska Act opened those territories, north of the line, to a concept of popular sovereignty, in which those supposedly living in the territories would be allowed to vote on the issue. This may have sounded democratic, but it led to a wave of Abolitionist settlers from New England, and pro-slavery visitors from neighboring Missouri, resulting in "Bleeding Kansas", with attacks and massacres from both sides, and very little democracy. Potter shows that Douglas started from a powerful need to organize the territories so a Pacific railroad could be built, preferably from Chicago in his home state of Illinois. That simple point of departure led him into a series of moves that only deepened the sectional divide.

Potter describes how the southern slaveholders won a whole series of meaningless victories that did nothing to extend the slave territories but did intensify feelings against slavery in the North, from the Mexican War and Kansas-Nebraska to the Dred Scott decision and the hanging of John Brown. He traces the rise of the Republican party out of the ruins of the Whigs and the Freesoil Party, and exposes the latter not as advocates of rights for black people, but driven rather by a deep-seated racism aimed at keeping blacks out of the territories. Complicating the 1850's political map of America was the American, or "Know Nothing" party, dedicated to stopping the recent flood of mainly Catholic immigrants from Europe.

He also demonstrates that the Unionist candidates did better than generally believed in the four-sided presidential election of 1860, and that the voting system itself gave the secessionists of late 1860 and early 1861 far greater strength than their actual numbers.

If you want to get deep into the politics that split the powerful Democratic Party and ultimately the nation, this book has what you are looking for.

I picked this book up at used book store a few years ago. It's now in tatters. I've read it a half-dozen times (more, probably). At least one of those times I finished it, then just started all over. Mr. Potter's analysis and insights on all events leading up to the civil war are the best I've ever seen: clear, consise, logical. Never boring, often humorous, it's an outstanding book. Grab it while it's still in print. You won't be sorry.

(original version posted May 7, 2000)
David Potter's The Impending Crisis is the definitive account of the events leading up to the Civil War. Some works attempt to condense the causes of the war down to a few general themes such as slavery, economics, or the clash of two very different ways of life. While it was influenced by all of these things, such generalizations assume that the politicians and ordinary citizens who lived in the days before the war knew of the unimaginable horror to come.

Potter's work is rich and comprehensive, detailing the struggles and legislative battles of unyielding political forces. You get the sense of a history told in real time-- as if none of the legislators who toiled at futile efforts for legislative compromise had a real sense for what was to come (who could?). The book suggests that the causes of the war cannot be placed in a few discrete categories. In fact, you get the sense that every detail and seemingly minor event is another important link in the chain. For any history buff interested in understanding the political developments leading up to the war, or anyone looking for a good political overview, this is your first stop.

For those who studied history in the 1960's. David Potter's IMPENDING CRISES brings back memories of a time when political history dominatd the study of America's past. For students who grew up in the age of new social history, Potter's work is a unique opportunity to broaden their perspective and experience the genre of another generation. A synthesis and a commentary, the book analyzes political developments in the United States From the outbreak of the Mexican War to the firing on Fort Sumter, a period that Potter sees as vital to an understanding of the causation of the American Civil War.

The cast of characters is composed of white males, be their politicians or the electorate. Female names are virtually absent from the index. Other than Dred Scott, the only other individual black person mentioned is Frederick Douglass, and it seems that Potter stretches his research to include Douglass as opposed to giving him agench. Potter's work, completed after his death by friend and associate, Don E. Fehrenbacher, is the story of the interaction of white men who made political and sometimes moral decisions and how those decisions influenced the American people.

One of the significant aspects of the book is how Potter weaves the interralated events into the pattern of socail turmoil that culminated in the Civil War, often attempting to put the reader intothe mental framework of 19th century America. Stressing slavery as the most significant contribution to the tensions leading to the war, Potter de-emphasizes the significance of Nat Turner's Rebellion and John Brown's Raid. However, he demonstrates their importanc when viewed in combination with other events and thier impact on contemporary thought. As Potter points out, "Historians customarily write about past events as if each one occurred in isolation, neatly encapsulated in a sealed container, or chapter." (P. 177) A work such as Potter's brings the student who has done indepth readings on events such as John Brown's Raid or Nat Turner's Rebellion into the reality of the larger spectrum of events.

In telling his story, Potter goes about his task ina meticulous manner, particularly when one considers the voluminous footnotes. In several instances he offers revisionist interpretations of certain characters. He shows John Brown's Raid as a futile act, a publicity stunt by contemporary standars. He attempts to rehabilitate the image of President James Buchanan, a man most historians have not held in high regard. He demonstrates the hypocrisy of many abolitionists and how Republicans maniputlated their platforms to win over Know Nothing and nativist voters. Lincoln is shown as the practical politician that he was. Piercing homes in the myths that have evolved during Lincoln's early career and campaign the presidency.

In offering his revisionists views however, I believe that Potter goes too far in his attempt to ggive a seemingly unbiased view of Justice Roger B. Taney. This is especially true when he states that "Taney's valuable contributions to American constitutional development remained unrecognized because of the Dred Scott decision." (P. 290) Granted Taney severed longer than any chief Justice other than John Marshall. In addition, he made favavorable contributions to America's economic development by reaching decisions that favored emerging industries. However, his opinions in Groves v. Slaughter (1844), Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842) and Strader v. Graham (1850) were decidely proslavery, offering no protection to free blacks or the free states that opposed slavery.

Regarding the Dred Scott decision, Potter says "Probably no other major judicial decision in history affected the daily lives of so few people" (P. 290) While conceding in th next paragraph that the decision had indirect results, it is still difficult to understand Potter's view. Taney found that Blacks were not citizens and delineated bifurcated citizenship between federal and state government which would have significant ramifications in subsequent rulings of the court. For the first time, the Supreme Court found unconstitutional a major piece of fderal legislation. For the first time, every justice of the Supreme Court wrote an opinion on a case, a decision that takes up 248 pages of the Supreme Court Reports. Had it not been for the Civil War, the Dred Scott decision would have dictated federal policy on slavery in the territories until the nation was able to end slavery or amend the constitution and yet potter downplays its importance. The evidence is clearl that the adoption of the 14th Amendment was an attempt by Congress to overturn the Dred Scott decision, but yet Potter feels that it did not affect the daily lives of individuals.

However, the emphasis of the book is on the history of political events and not legal history. All in all every page of Potter's work is extremely worthwhile. The discussions of the development of both political parties is "worth the price of admission."

David Potter's The Impending Crisis is the definitive account of the events leading up to the Civil War. Some works attempt to condense the causes of the war down to a few general themes and cite the "big events" which naturally support those conclusions. Potter's work is rich and comprehensive, detailing the struggles and legislative battles of unyielding political forces. You get the sense of a history told in real time-none of the legislators who attempted to forge compromises and continue to work within the legislative process could have envisioned the war to come, let alone its extent. The book suggests that the causes of the war should not be placed in a few convenient categories to evaluate their effect. In fact, every detail and every development does matter. For any history buff interested in understanding the political developments leading up to the war, this is a must.

The Impending Crisis is the absolute gold-standard of historical writing. Professor Potter treats an incredibly complicated and misinterpreted time period with unparalleled objectivity and insight. Delving beyond surface meanings and interpretations, this book analyzes, not only the history, but the historiography of the time period as well. Professor Potter rejects the historian's tendency to review the period with all the benefits of hindsight. He simply traces the events, then allows the reader to step back, see the situations from all sides, contemplate the interpretations of contemporaries and other historians, then moves forward with his analysis. This simply is the book by which, not only other antebellum era books, but all history books should be judged.

David Potter's work has been rightly called "magisterial" by some historians. He examines whether "Southern Nationialism" truly existed prior to 1860, and whether a mere impassioned defense of slavery was solely capable of inciting some Southerners to contemplate exercising a revolutionary right (or as Southern constitutionalists saw it, immediate secession). This chapter, coupled with his thorough understanding of the political dimension of Nativism, is sufficient alone to recommend this book. This book (20 years to complete) is the product of serious reflection on the part of the author. Professor Potter's work is a testament to his skills as a historian and writer.