Freehling, William W. , 1935-

The road to disunion / William W. Freehling. - New York : Oxford University Press , 1990-2007. - 2nd vol. : ill., maps ; 25 cm.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

v. 1. Secessionists at bay, 1776-1854 -- v. 2. Secessionists triumphant, 1854-1861.

This major work of scholarship by the author of Prelude to the Civil War offers an intimate look at the Old South and describes how the slavery issue led to successive collisions between ``private despotism and public democracy.'' The book also provides a detailed account of how slavery functioned. Freehling's sweeping narrative traces national crises that led to secession: the Missiouri Compromise, the annexation of Texas, the Compromise Act of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Such figures as Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Jefferson Davis, and Abraham Lincoln stride vigorously through these pages. The study, which contributes importantly to our understanding of the causes of the Civil War, will interest readers with its brilliant evocation of the antebellum South.

9780195058154

89026511


Secession----Southern States


United States---History---Civil war, 1861-1865
Southern States---History
United States---Politics and government---1815-1861

E468.9 / .F84 1990

973.71 FRE