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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
A fascinating look at the process of how slavery came to an end through the course of the Civil War. Of course we all know that the civil war ended slavery, but this book describes how that played out, what people of the time thought about it, and how the war and this fundamental societal change interacted with each other. I found myself reading the book through two different lenses. As a work of history, it's a thorough and focused look at how a major social change played out over the course of just a few years -- well-crafted and a good read, but maybe a bit narrowly focused to be of wide interest. However, the book really blossoms as an implicit look at how people will believe incorrect and even contradictory things in the face of logic and evidence when their way of life depends on it. It's amazing to read primary evidence, for example, of how members of the Southern planter class could believe both that slaves truly preferred to live in that condition, but also that slaves would promptly revolt if given the chance. Levine's work demonstrates that these mental gymnastics were foundational to the cause of secession and to the institution of southern slavery itself. This view into how a society can perpetuate fundamentally immoral and unsustainable practices has particular relevance even now, and makes this book a far more interesting read than it would be as just a good look at an important slice of history.
Somewhat dry but a good book for people who don't know that much about the social aspects of the civil war in the south. The author is insightful and detailed. This book won't give you any information on the battles or the fighting during the war but it will give you a better understanding of what was going on in the lives of the southerns while the war was being fought. Won this from Goodreads
This a remarkable book. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, because it is a fairly dense history. But it's not a catalog of troop movements nor of drawn out battle descriptions, and that's refreshing in a Civil War history. It also, it seems to me, puts the idea of the States' Rights to bed for once and for all. The Civil War was about slavery. QED. For the record, this book REALLY made me think, and even more so when I mentioned some of the statistics in it (re: antebellum demographics in the South) to Sam, and he saw some parallels to now in them. Which is a horrific thought, but I couldn't deny some relevance.
Seriously. I'm not a big Civil War buff, but this book was fabulous.
Seriously. I'm not a big Civil War buff, but this book was fabulous.