The story of the runup to the Civil War has been told many times, with many different points of view, and with a focus on many different elements of the evolving bitterness between the North and the South. None of these accounts has captured the relentless force and complexity of the conflict as well as David Potter's The Impending Crisis.
It almost seemed natural that the United States in 1850, a nation then only just over 60 years old, was still very much growing into its transcontinental form, still encompassing two vastly different cultures - that of the patrician slaveholders of the South, stuck a bit in the past, and of the mercantile interests, surging with energy and ambition, in the North. Not only were there economic and cultural differences but the political gulf that separated the North from the South ruined one of the two great parties of the country, the Whigs, and splintered the Democratic party into two belligerent wings.
Through the forces of territorial expansion and increasing imbalances in economic power, the North confronted the South with gradually louder demands to dismantle the slavery system. Slavery, however, in the South had been too firmly woven into its cotton economy, based as it was on cheap labor. In addition, many in the South felt the potential insurrection potential of having six million exploited souls in its midst.
Potter tells this agonizing drama with great skill. It is, indeed, a remarkable story, full of human conflict - Calhoun drifting further and further away from his former roommate, Henry Clay; Steven Douglas - never able to grant the concept of citizenship to the black population -- arguing for the rights of popular opinion in whether or not to retain or reject slavery in the new territories against an extraordinary rising politician in the new Republican party, Abraham Lincoln; Charles Sumner, the abolitionist Massachusetts senator clubbed brutally on the floor of the Senate by his senatorial colleague from South Carolina.
More than anything, Potter tracks the gradual disintegration of the political parties. Since the first election, in 1796, the winner had carried both slave and free states until 1848. After that, no winner carried both the North and the South. In fact, as Potter points out, the next winner to prevail in both sections was Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. As the Whigs weakened, a new faction, the Republican party, picked up the pieces, almost all of which were derived from the Northern states. The Democratic party was increasingly a party led by the South. In fact, by 1860, the Republican candidate, Lincoln, won the election without even being on the ballot in the Southern states. This realignment of the political parties was a complicated process but Potter lets it unfold in a logical and absorbing way.
By the time Potter arrives at the election of Lincoln in 1860, the story is complete. The South had far fewer natural advantages going in to the armed conflict. It had a far smaller economy, a smaller population, a sizable proportion of the population that could not be relied upon to remain orderly and submissive, and less developed transportation and communication systems. The South did, however, possess military figures of enormous skill, some with almost unnatural talents in picking the right fights at the right time. Only with the rapid promotion of Ulysses S. Grant ("Unconditional Surrender Grant") did the Union begin to turn the tide.
This is book that requires time to absorb; each major topic is discussed with great care to present the context of both sides in the conflict. Each topic moves the reader along the path to understanding the core reasons for the differences between the North and the South. It is a fully rewarding experience to be led by Potter through this great story.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the authors
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
This item: The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861
$10.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jun 21
In Stock
+
$14.59
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jun 21
In Stock
+
$18.00
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jun 21
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start over
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
Top reviews from other countries
- A. ThompsonReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2015
The journey to war
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - Cosmo langReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2015
Five Stars
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - Marc RangerReviewed in Canada on November 10, 2016
An incomplete work
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
