| The conviction that the American Civil War left a massive
legacy to the country has generally been much clearer than the
definition of what that legacy is. Did the was, as Ulysses S.
Grant believed, bequeath power, intelligence, and sectional
harmony to America, or did it, as many have argued since, sow
racial and regional bitterness that has blighted the nation
since 1865? What, exactly, was the legacy of disunion?
This collection explores that question from a variety of
angles, showcasing the work of twelve scholars from the United
States and the United Kingdom. The essays ponder the role
of history, myth, and media in sustaining the memory of the
war and its racial implications in the South; Abraham Lincoln's
legacy; and the war's consequences in less studied areas,
such as civil-military relations and constitutional and legal
history. By juxtaposing American and non-American interpretations,
this stimulating volume reveals aspects of the war's legacy
that from a purely American viewpoint are sometimes too close
for comfort.
Contributors: Bruce Collins, Robert Cook, Richard N. Current,
Susan-Mary Grant, Charles W. Joyner, Patricia Lucie, James
M. McPherson, Peter J. Parish, Brian Holden Reid, Jeffrey
Leigh Sedgwick, Adam P. Smith, Melvyn Stokes.
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