The Civil War placed the U.S. Constitution under unprecedented--and; to this day; still unmatched--strain. In Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation; Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Mark Neely examines for the first time in one book the U.S. Constitution and its often overlooked cousin; the Confederate Constitution; and the ways the documents shaped the struggle for national survival.Previous scholars have examined wartime challenges to civil liberties and questions of presidential power; but Neely argues that the constitutional conflict extended to the largest questions of national existence. Drawing on judicial opinions; presidential state papers; and political pamphlets spiced with the everyday immediacy of the partisan press; Neely reveals how judges; lawyers; editors; politicians; and government officials; both North and South; used their constitutions to fight the war and save; or create; their nation. Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation illuminates how the U.S. Constitution not only survived its greatest test but emerged stronger after the war. That this happened at a time when the nation's very existence was threatened; Neely argues; speaks ultimately to the wisdom of the Union leadership; notably President Lincoln and his vision of the American nation.
#3957331 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2003-09-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.01 x 6.14 x 9.68l; 1.36 #File Name: 0807827975192 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. I Met The Author!By Ronald J. GertsI bought this book after meeting the author and discussing his work with him. It's a great book. It won a well-deserved McArthur Genius Award for Penningroth. His work is based on original research into documents in the National Archives that have been overlooked for decades. He uses the records of property claims made by slaves after the civil war to learn about the African-American family. Very readable; too.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Fantastic bookBy Tom GinsburgBesides being a major new window onto African-American history; this book recasts our understanding of property and its relationship with state power--reminding us that ideas about property come "from below". a stellar achievement!
