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Jeffrey Rogers Hummel

Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men: A History of the American Civil War Paperback – January 1, 1996

by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel (Author)

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Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men is an exciting narrative history offering fresh insights into many aspects of the Civil War.

"This is a lucid, edifying account of the Civil War era. Mr. Hummel has an impressive command of the relevant contemporary literature. His interpretations are thoughtful, often provocative, always well worth considering, Civil War buffs will want this book on their shelves". -- Kenneth M. Stampp University of California, Berkeley

"Hummel presents some uncomfortable truths for both sides of the Civil War. For the South, Hummel builds a case that the war was indeed about slavery. For the North, he shows that a war to preserve the union was morally bankrupt and that freeing the slaves was the only justifiable reason for fighting. Yet Hummel demonstrates that even a war for such a noble cause was probably unnecessary, since slavery was politically doomed in an independent South. Hummel also illustrates some of the cost of the war, such as Lincoln g suppression of political opposition, the closing of dissenting newspapers, and the creation of big government under Republicans Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant". -- Library Journal

"In this insightful treatment of the Civil War (addressing the causes, the war itself and Reconstruction), Hummel's text argues against the thesis that armed confrontation was inevitable. With its insight)d analysis (not to mention the extensive bibliographical essays that elaborate each chapter), Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men will supply both the academic and Civil War buff with an added perspective on the causes and consequences of the Civil War". -- Publishers Weekly

Print length

421 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Open Court
Publication date

January 1, 1996
Dimensions

5.98 x 0.98 x 9.02 inches
ISBN-10

0812693124
ISBN-13

978-0812693126
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this insightful treatment of the Civil War (addressing the causes, the war itself and Reconstruction), Hummel's text argues against the thesis that armed confrontation was inevitable. "As an excuse for civil war," he says, "maintaining the States territorial integrity is bankrupt and reprehensible. Slavery's elimination is the only morally worthy justification." But slavery, he suggests, was on its way out in any case. Not only was it a political liability, but the institution's many-faceted costs (social cost, enforcement, uprisings, mistreatment) outweighed any profits. If, after decades of unsuccessful compromise, the North had recognized the South's revolutionary right to self-determination and had let the Gulf states secede, slavery would have succumbed in the border states. Hummel goes on to argue, as have many others before, that after a devastating war and the disappointment of Reconstruction, a federal government that once interfered only a little in the affairs of individual states "had been transformed into an overbearing bureaucracy that intruded into daily life with taxes, drafts, surveillance, subsidies and regulations." Hummel, a professor of history and economics at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, quotes David H. Donald, saying, "Before the Civil War, many politicians and writers referred to the United States in the plural"--i.e., the United States are, a grammatical agreement no longer used after 1865. With its insightful analysis (not to mention the extensive bibliographical essays that elaborate each chapter), Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men will supply both the academic and Civil War buff with an added perspective on the causes and consequences of the Civil War.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Court; 1st edition (January 1, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 421 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812693124
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812693126
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.42 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.98 x 9.02 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,349,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,738 in U.S. Civil War History

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James

Hummel Takes No Prisoners

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 31, 2014

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Hummel's position is basically that of the few principled Northern abolitionists who didn't abandon their anarchism for nationalism, e.g. Lysander Spooner ("The principle on which the war was waged by the North was that men may rightfully be compelled to submit to a government they do not want, and that resistance makes them criminals and traitors") and George W. Bassett ("The same principle that has always made me an abolitionist now makes me an secessionist. It is the great natural and sacred right of self-government"). According to Hummel, although the so-called "Civil War" ended with the unintended consequence of emancipating the slaves, by crushing the the right of self-government, it also enslaved all free men.

I did find his total endorsement of the "neo-abolitionist" (his words) contention that slavery was the sole cause of secession extremely disappointing. Elsewhere, Hummel has said that the evidence for slavery as the cause of secession is one of the most well-documented facts in history. Well then, tell us how you really feel! While it is undeniable that slavery (specifically, its extension, which was never a moral question, but political/economic) was a part of the great division between the North and the South, so were a host of other issues, some of which were older and more oppressive to the South. More importantly, underlying all these issues - central banking, taxation, expenditure, territorial expansion, war, etc. - was the principle of states' rights. Secession was the culmination of a political, economic, and cultural conflict between the North and the South which went back generations and had roots in the foundation of the Union. I've always found summing it all up as "slavery" to be extremely shallow.

12 people found this helpful

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Daniel

excellent book, just a tad short

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 24, 2010

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It seems that "Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men" has been gaining a small amount of popularity from neo-confederate authors who praise the book on it's many refreshing and truthful conclusions despite the fact that Hummel's book generally follows tired and true doctrine proclaiming the war to be Southern cause to protect slavery.

Unlike most Civil War books that praise Lincoln and chastise the South, Hummel forgoes the Lincoln idolatry while retaining his Southern criticism. He therefor concludes that even though the Southern intent was wholly immoral, Lincoln's crusade to save the Union was just as unscrupulous as Lincoln came to a presumptions and unrealistic conclusion that world-wide democracy was endangered by an independent southern nation. Hummel argues quite convincingly that rather then save democracy and liberty, he actually destroyed it by his reckless and tyrannical actions.

In all of this, the only real concession he gives to the South is that slavery was basically doomed before the secession movement even began and the forming of the Confederacy made it even weaker, pointing out that even Alexander Stephens recognized that slavery was more secure in the American Union rather than out of it.

Other than that, Hummel actually touches on a lot of other subjects that readers may find interesting including Confederate finances, Union medical services, and the impact of new weaponry to help round out his study. He also provides excellent bibliographical essays for readers who want to read about certain topics in far greater detail than what he provides.

So why the four stars? I found the book to be a tad short, I would have enjoyed a deeper analysis on certain subjects in Hummel's own words, but I suppose I will have to rely on his recommendations.

9 people found this helpful

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Book "Booker" Looker

No Chattel Slavery, Yes Political Slavery

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 11, 2013

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Hummel has written a book that I feel is more balanced and detailed than either of DiLorenzo's ventures into the topic. I was pleased that much of the historicity of the book was corroborated by what I had read in high school and so the book was for me a refresher on this era in American history. Hummel discusses in-depth the ways in which secession would have undermined slavery and frequently brings up specific entries from many different historical figures to give an accurate and complete picture of the Civil War and the ensuing Reconstruction. I strongly recommend reading this book if possible.

One more thing I was pleased with reading this book: the author is much more detached from the events, rarely approaching the scorn and indignation with which DiLorenzo approaches the topic (if at all). Not to throw DiLorenzo under the bus, but I feel his books are a little misleading at times.

6 people found this helpful

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Charles Hooper

Careful scholarship and clear thinking

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 2, 2007

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Hummel is careful, fair, and concise as he lays out the factual threads that comprise the American Civil War. It isn't until the epilogue, however, that we see what he's been making with these threads--a noose capable of hanging the myths that we all learned in school. Myth 1: Secession would have been bad for Northern whites and Southern blacks. Myth 2: Secession would have been good for slaveholders. Myth 3: The Civil War was a necessary war. Myth 4: The war was the only way, or at least the best way, to free the slaves. Myth 5: The objective of the war was to free the Southern slaves. Myth 6: Lincoln was an American hero who advanced the cause of freedom and democracy.

In truth, the Civil War was an unnecessary monstrosity whose blame rests with political leaders on both sides of the fight, but primarily with the idolized Lincoln.

Charles L. Hooper, coauthor of Making Great Decisions in Business and Life

18 people found this helpful

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Carpe Diem

Provocative, libertarian-oriented analysis of the Civil War

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 31, 2014

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Very interesting book about the events leading up to the Civil War, the conflict of moral and political rights surrounding it, and the long-term consequences of killing hundreds of thousands of people in order to free hundreds of thousands of other people. Definitely not a book that great admirers of Lincoln will cherish.

7 people found this helpful

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Jack H

One of the best synopsis of the causes (yes

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 6, 2015

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One of the best synopsis of the causes (yes, it was over slavery) and results of the Civil War I know of. This from a tar heel who grew up on this stuff.

2 people found this helpful

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Charles K.

But this book does a great job of explaining the political forces in effect from ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 2, 2016

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I'm only part way thru. But this book does a great job of explaining the political forces in effect from the revolution thru to the civil war.

5 people found this helpful

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