55 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, brief survey, April 9, 2011
This review is from: Why They Fought: The Real Reason for the Civil War (Kindle Single) (Kindle Edition)
The book starts with an excellent brief survey of what people said about the causes of war before and during the war itself; the second half of the book is speculation about why people like to insist now that slavery was only an incidental issue. I doubt this slim volume will persuade anyone hanging onto the "Lost Cause," but it does concisely address the question of the cause of the Civil War, and provides plenty of suggestions for further, deeper reading.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good survey, ambitious topic, April 18, 2011
This review is from: Why They Fought: The Real Reason for the Civil War (Kindle Single) (Kindle Edition)
I enjoyed this single. It's well written and researched, and the author mentioned a few titles that I didn't know about and would like to read.
I think this is an ambitious topic for a Kindle Single, because any attempt to briefly explain the causes for the civil war will inevitably leave a few loose ends. No fault of the author, it's just a lot to cover. Readers who are predisposed to disagree with his thesis will pounce on these dangling threads and pick away at his conclusions. Even objective readers may find themselves wondering about bits that don't seem to fit. For example, why were so many rebels willing to fight and die to preserve slavery, even though a great number owned neither plantations nor slaves? And why were so many Unionists willing to give their all to preserve union with a region that embraced slavery?
Historians have given us thoughtful, compelling answers to these kinds of questions, but it generally takes them a lot more than 26 pages to do it. Kindle Singles are described as, "Compelling ideas at their natural length." I'd agree that this topic is compelling, especially as we arrive at the 150-year anniversary of the start of military action in the civil war, but its "natural length" seems much longer.
So if you're trying to decide whether this single is for you, I'd suggest you might consider it an appetizer. If you've read a lot about the civil war, you'll enjoy this well-written synopsis of the run-up to the conflict and its aftermath. If this period of history is new to you, then you'll probably be amazed by this account and may want to follow it with other books about this turning point in US history.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought Provoking, April 12, 2011
This review is from: Why They Fought: The Real Reason for the Civil War (Kindle Single) (Kindle Edition)
I grew up in California but have lived all over the country while serving in the military and have lived in the south now on and off for over 25 years, so I have been exposed to almost all views on the Civil War and I found a lot to agree with in this article. Though the real reasons for the Civil War haven't changed, it's nice once in a while to see them expressed in such a clear and concise way. Add that to a nice summary of how and why the real causes of the war were (and in many cases still are) glossed over makes this essay well worth reading. It's not very long of course but it still gets it's point across. As a history buff I found this ariticle well researched and very interesting.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
