Tag: lincoln

US Civil War – Rebels in the Making (Oxford University Press, 2020) – William Barney interview

American Civil War – An interview with William Barney about his new book Rebels in the Making, published by Oxford University Press, on Southern secession in 1860 to 1861. Check out the book here   https://amzn.to/30aBXVl

How did you become interested in studying and writing on the subject of your book?

I first became interested in the American Civil War after reading Bruce Catton during high school. I latched on to secession as a research topic in my years of professional training at Columbia University in the 1960s and always wanted to write a major work on the topic.

What is the book about and what major themes do you focus on?

Rebels in the Making focuses on the years of 1860-1861 when the secession movement climaxed and triggered the Civil War. I found that any persuasive explanation of the politics of secession necessitated placing the drive for secession in the social, economic, and cultural context of the slave South as it matured in the 1850s and constricted opportunities for common whites in acquiring slaves and good land. The need to protect slavery where it existed and leave open the possibility of its future expansion was the main motivating force behind secession. This was the core argument used to attract the support of younger slaveholders aspiring to attain planter status. In presenting my findings, I examined secession, and its success or failure, in all of the fifteen slave states and traced how the vision of the secessionists for the South was embodied in the crafting the constitution and government for the Confederate States of America.

What resource materials or archives did you primarily use for your research?

I cast as wide a net as possible in locating resource material – letters, diaries and journals; slave narratives; court records; contemporary periodicals and newspapers; and legislative proceedings and debates.

What did you discover in your research that most surprised you?

What most surprised me was the extent and depth of the economic depression that gripped the South once credit lines from the North were largely shut down in the financial freeze that accompanied Lincoln’s election. Most economic activity ground to a halt and the ensuing sense of desperation added fuel to the argument of the secessionists that the South had to liberate itself from the financial shackles of the North.

Why did the North shut down the credit lines for the South and what about Lincoln’s election prompted this action? Were there Southern states that were hit particularly harder by this credit crunch than others?

Capital abhors uncertainty and everyone foresaw a major political crisis in the event of Lincoln’s election. Consequently, Northern banks and mercantile houses sought to preserve capital and prevent bankruptcies by tightening or refusing to extend the credit (technically discounting the notes of indebtedness) to Southern factors and planters that was necessary to move cotton to market. The economic crisis was a national one because of uncertainty over whether Southern markets would remain open to Northern merchants and farmers. All states were affected, though the shutdown was probably the deepest in the cash-starved Cotton South.

Was there a particularly difficult issue to research because of lack of information or access to information?

The hardest part of the story to tell was the role played by the slaves, over forty percent of the population in the seven original states that seceded. Slaves, unsurprisingly, left very few first-hand accounts of their feelings or actions and their reaction to the crisis in large measure had to be inferred by what whites wrote of what they thought the slaves were up to. I argue that the slaves were well aware that their day of deliverance was about to come and that they exploited the unrest and excitement in the South in 1860 by setting a rash of fires that further unnerved whites into believing that only a clean break from the North could save them from what they convinced themselves were hordes of abolitionist incendiaries descending on the South and stirring up the slaves.

When you say that Southern slaves started a rash of fires, can you explain that in a little more detail?

Southern newspapers reported an outbreak of fires that began in the spring of 1860 and peaked in the late summer and fall. The fires were attributed to abolitionist emissaries and slaves. The fires destroyed many businesses and some private homes. Most of them, and those almost certainly set by plantation slaves, torched highly combustible cotton gins and the cotton stored therein. The fires were set at night in isolated areas where it was extremely difficult to identify the perpetrators.

Did you have any difficulties in finishing or publishing and how did you overcome those?

Fortunately, the only hurdle in the writing of Rebels was carving out the time for framing and detailing the argument. As in the past, Oxford University Press was an understanding and helpful publisher. The comments and advice of Editor Susan Ferber were all I could have hoped for.

What is your current or next writing project?

I’m currently plunging into a new topic, the nature and extent of Confederate nationalism and the interpretive folly of conflating it with the Confederate state.

Where can people find you online?

I can be found at the website for the Department of History, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My email is: wbarney@email.unc.edu.

Links of interest

Check out the book here   https://amzn.to/30aBXVl

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/rebels-in-the-making-9780190076085

https://history.unc.edu/faculty-members/william-l-barney/

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Civil War military history book – “Entertaining History” (Southern Illinois University Press, 2020) – Chris Mackowski interview

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Check out this book here https://amzn.to/2vhwBLu

Chris Mackowski is an academic deeply engaged in the study of the US Civil War and how it impacts the country today. We spoke about his latest edited collection of essays on how the US Civil War has been presented in various media.

1:06 – Chris talks about how he got into studying the US Civil War.

2:21 – Chris talks about the focus of the book.

4:52 – Chris talks about how interest in the Civil War has risen and fallen over time.

6:46 – Chris talks about reenactment.

8:08 – Chris addresses the controversies about Confederate memorials and monuments.

9:44 – Chris talks about the themes explored in the book.

12:24 – Chris addresses Southern interest in Civil War studies and the connection with the Old West.

13:56 – Chris discusses more of the subjects touched on in the book like Bruce Catton.

16:47 – Chris talks about Civil War national parks and how history is presented.

18:36 – Chris talks about campaigns to expand Civil War battlefield parks.

21:02 – Chris talks about Shelby Foote and Jeff Shaara.

25:01 – Chris talks about the research the essayists did for this book.

28:34 – Chris talks about military collecting.

29:40 – Chris talks about foreign interest in the US Civil War.

31:46 – Chris talks about US Civil War era clothing and uniforms.

32:20 – Chris mentions the planned Disney Civil War park.

36:35 – Chris talks about how people can hear and see web exclusive content connected to the book.

37:52 – Chris talks about Clive Cussler and the recovery of the Hunley. He also discusses Lincoln in films including the vampire hunter movie.

40:13 – Chris talks about Civil War photography and the portrayal of slavery in film.

42:44 – Chris talks about Bobby Horton’s musical work.

50:18 – People can find more information about the book at www.emergingcivilwar.com

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2vhwBLu

http://www.siupress.com/books/978-0-8093-3758-3

http://emergingcivilwar.com/

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: Chris Mackowski

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, US civil war, civil war, literature, popular culture, cyclorama, roots, the blue and the grey, the north and the south, Ken Burns, national parks, john adams, johnstown, glory, usct, colored troops, confederates in the attic, confederacy, gone with the wind, lost cause, Bruce Catton, andersonville, ulysses s. grant, digital media, american battlefield trust, assassin’s creed, shelby foote, jeff shaara, lincoln, stonewall jackson, bobby horton, Hunley, 12 years a slave, monticello

Check out this book here https://amzn.to/2vhwBLu

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US Civil War era history book – “Abraham Lincoln Statesmanship and the Limits of Liberal Democracy” (Southern Illinois University Press, 2019) – Jon D. Schaff – WarScholar written interview 4

http://siupress.siu.edu/books/978-0-8093-3737-8

When people hear the name Lincoln, they usually think immediately of the U.S. Civil War and the incredible violence and hate that marked that national conflict. However, Lincoln was in charge of more than just the Union military. He also had to worry about the many needs of the nation ranging from agricultural production, infrastructure management, the economy, education, and so on. These things weren’t put on hold simply because of the war.

As such, Lincoln still had to deal with politicians and voters. While victory and defeat on the battlefield dominated headlines, there was much to do to keep the country steady. His decisions and negotiations with Congress helped shaped the country after the war nearly as much as the war did.

Jon Schaff has written about Lincoln’s approach to running the government and uses the development of major pieces of legislation as a way to show the practical applications of Lincoln’s leadership philosophy. I spoke with him about his book Abraham Lincoln’s Statesmanship and the Limits of Liberal Democracy and the struggle of one man to raise up his nation for the betterment of all.

How did you become interested in studying and writing on the subject of your book?

When I was a graduate student I intended to write a dissertation about a completely different subject. My advisor then pointed out to me the dearth of research on Lincoln as a non-war president. We focus so much on Lincoln as commander-in-chief that we seldom consider the other aspects of the presidency. Given that the Civil War was also an era of great public policy change, this seemed odd. So I wrote a dissertation on it. My interest in Lincoln has greatly expanded since then, but that’s where it started. From the moment I started researching Lincoln I was hooked.

What aspect of this subject does your book focus on?

The book is split into two parts. The first part looks at Lincoln’s philosophy of government, namely looking at the virtues of prudence and moderation that are at the heart of statesmanship, Lincoln’s defense of natural rights, and finally Lincoln’s views on the powers of government and economics. The second half of the book look’s at Lincoln’s presidential leadership in marshaling through major pieces of legislation during the Civil War. These include the Homestead Act, Land-Grant College Act, Pacific Railroad Act, National Bank Act, and Legal Tender Act.

What are the major themes of this book?

The major themes of the book are indicated in the book’s title, namely statesmanship and limits. I am interested in Lincoln as the statesman par excellence. Today we have a noticeable shortage of statesmanship, so I think it is time we look to a model of statesmanship to better appreciate what qualities we should be looking for in leaders. One of the main components of statesmanship is the notion of limits. We often confuse the voice of the people with the voice of God, but a statesman, like a good parent or a good friend, will tell us that we must limit our desires. Not everything we long for is good for us. So I look at prudence and moderation as the main virtues of the statesman. Prudence because it tells us that even when attempting good things we must be conscious of using proper means. Moderation because the statesman must balance various competing goods. I also show how Lincoln favored strong but limited government. In addition, in his theory of “free labor” Lincoln advocated an economics that puts freedom above unlimited economic gain. Finally, Lincoln’s theory of the presidency, contrary to the modern presidency, is one that sees limits to the president’s power and when dealing with non-military policy is largely deferential to Congress.

In regards to Lincoln’s views on limits of the government, did Lincoln view the Confederate states as still part of the Union and to whom he would continue to apply limited government as best as possible, or did he believe the Confederacy should not be afforded his preferred applications of moderation and statesmanship until after the war was over?

These are not mutually exclusive. Yes, the Confederate states were part of the Union, but obviously in fomenting rebellion they lost some of their legal rights. But still Lincoln was, I’d argue, prudent and moderate in respect to the South. Notice how in the run-up to war Lincoln favored a Constitutional Amendment forgoing any federal power over slavery where it existed, excepting a compensated emancipation. Lincoln countermanded orders from military generals that had proclaimed slaves forever free in certain areas. Lincoln argued that if anyone would do such a thing as a war measure, it must be the commander-in-chief. Lincoln had an overall concern that when the war was over that the Union had to be able to come together. This is the whole ethos of the Second Inaugural and Lincoln’s approach to reconstruction, which was far more modest than envisioned by Radical Republicans in Congress, as evidenced by his veto of the Wade-Davis reconstruction bill.

What resource materials did you use for your research?

Well, lots of course! The two most important sources for the book were Lincoln’s Collected Works as edited by Roy Basler and the Congressional Digest (today the Congressional Record). The Collected Works are now online, but early in my research on Lincoln I was generously gifted this eight-volume set by a friend. It has proved indispensable in many ways. I still prefer reading the books rather than looking online. The Congressional Digest was crucial to laying out the legislative history of the major pieces of non-war legislation of the Civil War era. Again, much of this is online today. I spent countless hours looking at microfilm. It was good for my soul. Bad for my eyes.

What part of the research process was most enjoyable for you?

Reading Lincoln, naturally. Of course much of what is in Lincoln’s Collected Works is mundane and of modest importance. But there are regular nuggets of pure brilliance. There is a reason why Lincoln is so thoroughly researched. He is exceedingly deft in the use of the English language and his mind is so lucid that there is incredible depth to his major works. Also, reading Lincoln’s letters gives you some idea of how funny he was. He really could tell a joke.

What did you discover in your research that most surprised you?

I don’t know if I’d call it a surprise, but I think one of the book’s central conclusions is precisely opposite to conventional wisdom Lincoln was quite deferential to Congress in all matters not concerned with the war. Lincoln is so often held up as a model of aggressive presidential leadership that many will be surprised to find that Lincoln provides little precedent for our modern presidency-centered politics.

I think the most original portion of the book is where I compare Lincoln’s views on economics to the 20th Century economic theory of Distributism, an economic theory that owes much to Catholic social teaching of the time. Lincoln certainly condemned slavery, but he also did not consider wage-labor to be truly free labor. Lincoln’s economic vision was one of small farmers, small shops, local industrialists. A person should both partake of capital and labor, i.e., have ownership in business and work at the same time. Lincoln would be disappointed at how many Americans today work for “the man” instead of working for themselves.

Did Congress focus on non-war issues as much as Lincoln or perhaps more so?  How did that affect his approach to getting legislation passed?

Yes, very much so. This goes along with policy theory that the kinds of policies that dominated Congress in this era tended to be of a nature that would lend themselves to congressional leadership. I think Lincoln deferred to the practice of his age, which was deference to Congress in policy matters. One of the book’s ultimate points is that there is much virtue in this much more limited conception of presidential power.

Foreign affairs and foreign actors impacted Lincoln’s concerns about the war.  Which countries might throw their support behind the Confederacy for example.  Did these same factors impact non-war issues that he was facing?

The classic example is that Great Britain thought about intervening on the part of the South due to the desire for cheap cotton. I don’t see any impact with non-war matters, however.

Did you get a strong idea of how much of his legislation was designed to shape the South after the war, again in regards to non-war issues? 

I don’t think any legislation, outside of overt reconstruction legislation, was aimed at the South. A minor caveat to that was that Southerners where not that supportive of Homestead legislation as it gave incentive to populate the West with free labor agriculture, which tended to mitigate against Southern pro-slavery interests.

Was there anything you discovered that moved you?

Regarding Lincoln and free labor, there is a line in his speech in Wisconsin in 1859 on agriculture that really affected me. He envisions a society of free laborers who are self-sufficient. He says, “No community whose every member possesses this art, can ever be the victim of oppression in any of its forms. Such community will be alike independent of crowned-kings, money-kings, and land-kings.” I find that notion inspiring.

What was the most difficult issue to research?

I don’t know that I’d call any issue difficult. Certainly the history of legislation in the 37th Congress (the first Congress of the Civil War) was the most time consuming. I wanted to know not just the congressional debate, which itself was time consuming to get through, but the history of key figures in Congress. To get a full picture of what was happening in that Congress wasn’t what I would call difficult, but it was tedious at times.

What might Lincoln’s legislative priorities have been had there not been a war?

This is a great question. I think you would have seen Lincoln attempting to enact a Whig-style economic agenda, namely a system of tariffs, internal improvements, and matters such as Homestead and railroad legislation designed to promote economic diversity. I also think absent war Lincoln may have paid more attention to Native issues and probably would have dealt more gently with them than ultimately occurred. Lincoln was not enamored of “Manifest Destiny” (see his opposition to the Mexican War) and despite his encouragement of Western settlement was less ideological about Western expansion than most. And, yes, Lincoln would have pursued, I think, some kind of gradual compensated emancipation solution to slavery.

What do you hope the book will do for readers?

I hope the book inspires people to think harder about statesmanship and what it takes to have a decent democracy. I write in the introduction that part of the inspiration for the book is the notion that we take democracy for granted. We have had a pretty good run in America, and I think we have lost the sense that democracy needs certain virtues that require cultivation. That’s the job of the statesman. I do think that there is a general consensus that things are not well with our democracy, and I hope this book can help us diagnose those problems and give some idea of solutions. This is done by taking us out of our time and maybe seeing democracy anew in the statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln.

Did you have any difficulties in finishing the book and publishing it and if so, how did you overcome those?

My biggest difficulty in finishing the book was time. I worked on this book for many years. I work at a teaching heavy institution, which I like, but it makes finding time to write very difficult. So it was slow going. Thank goodness for sabbaticals! I didn’t have a lot of problem getting the book published. A friend suggested I approach Southern Illinois University Press. While they were a little hesitant at first, but they eventually saw the value in the project. The review and editing process was a little slow, but the people at SIU were a joy to work with and I know that they made my book better with their suggestions.

What is your next research or writing project?

I have two projects cooking. I actually have another book coming out in December, co-authored with a friend who teaches in the Communication department at Duquesne University. It is called Age of Anxiety: Meaning, Identity, and Politics in 21st Century Film and Literature. If you want to find out about that book it is up on Amazon (although not for sale yet). I am also beginning a project in which I will present Lincoln as a synthesis of the founding clash between Jefferson and Hamilton. I think Lincoln combines Jefferson’s dedication to natural rights and concern with self-sufficiency as a hallmark of a free people with Hamilton’s belief in an economically diverse, commercial nation. In addition, Lincoln shares Hamilton’s distrust of Jefferson’s populism while avoiding the anti-democratic elitism that sometimes infects Hamilton’s thought. Through this synthesis Lincoln builds a political teaching better than either founder’s thought. Or so I think right now!

Do you have any online accounts where people can find more of your work? 

I have a website: jonschaff.com that has a bunch of my writing on it. I can also be followed on Twitter @JonDSchaff.

Author Biography

Jon D. Schaff

Professor of Political Science

Northern State University

Author of Abraham Lincoln’s Statesmanship and the Limits of Liberal Democracy

Southern Illinois University Press, 2019.

https://www.jonschaff.com