Revised EditionWith a New Preface and AfterwordIn a revised edition; brought completely up to date with a new preface and afterword and an expanded bibliography; Bruce Levine's succinct and persuasive treatment of the basic issues that precipitated the Civil War is as compelling as ever. Levine explores the far-reaching; divisive changes in American life that came with the incomplete Revolution of 1776 and the development of two distinct social systems; one based on slavery; the other on free labor--changes out of which the Civil War developed.
#850577 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2010-09-15 2010-09-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x 1.18 x 6.00l; 1.45 #File Name: 0807871591472 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Very RevealingBy P. R. SmithAfter reading Disunion; I have a much better understanding of the attitudes that prevailed in both the North and South prior to the Civil war. The attitudes; on both sides; led to events that escalated the controversy that spiraled into the Civil War. It has always been a conflicting concept to me; that the North was anti-slavery which implies sensitivity to the plight of the slave. The truth is; as revealed in Disunion; the Northern public was racist but opposed slavery because it was seen as an affront to the freedom and liberty spelled out in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Of course; there were varying opinions on the slavery question in the North; with some being extremely racist and supportive of slavery and other calling for its immediate abolition. The same range of opinions were present in the South. It important to keep in mind that the wealthy plantation owners who also controlled the state governments in the South had a far greater influence on Southern opinion than their numbers represented. Many issues were in play and Disunion reveals that there was thirty years of bickering between the North and South over the slavery question and survival of the union. Instead of slavery gradually declining; the thirty years prior to the Civil War saw the disagreement gradually escalate until it reached full scale warfare. Disunion was both enjoyable to read and very informative. I recommend it to all who have an interest in American history.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent primer on the seeds of disunion planted when the ...By Larry WaltersExcellent primer on the seeds of disunion planted when the colonies just began and rampant throughout our history as a country. Telling warnings by the founding Father's that it would all happen.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. NY Times as Historical ReferenceBy Patricia LoncharVery informative; definitely excellent window into history; especially journalistic history; offers readers a sense of the "times" and the "issues" of the day--both past and present.
