| Portion of title |
How Republican reformers fought the Civil War, defied Lincoln, ended slavery, and remade America |
| Contents |
Preface -- A rope of sand -- Let the war come -- A wretched humbug -- Forward to Richmond! -- The clink of coin -- The Moloch of slavery -- The strong arm of government -- Beneficent reform, hothouse capitalism -- Tax is patriotic -- The slaves must be with us -- Folly, stupidity, and wickedness -- Men, and more men -- Resistance, conspiracy, and martyrdom -- Dire warnings -- An event without parallel -- No quarter! -- Majorities must rule -- Bleeding, bankrupt, and dying country -- The people decide -- Hurrah for freedom! -- Epilogue. |
| Abstract |
"The story of how Congress helped win the Civil War -- a new perspective that puts the House and Senate, rather than Lincoln, at the center of the conflict. This [...] new perspective on the Civil War overturns the popular conception that Abraham Lincoln single-handedly led the Union to victory and gives us a vivid account of the essential role Congress played in winning the war. Building a riveting narrative around four influential members of Congress--Thaddeus Stevens, Pitt Fessenden, Ben Wade, and the pro-slavery Clement Vallandigham--Fergus Bordewich shows us how a newly empowered Republican party shaped one of the most dynamic and consequential periods in American history. From reinventing the nation's financial system to pushing President Lincoln to emancipate the slaves to the planning for Reconstruction, Congress undertook drastic measures to defeat the Confederacy, in the process laying the foundation for a strong central government that came fully into being in the twentieth century. Brimming with drama and outsized characters, Congress at War is also one of the most original books about the Civil War to appear in years and will change the way we understand the conflict." -- Provided by the publisher. |
| General note | "A Borzoi Book." |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Issued in other form | Online version: Bordewich, Fergus M., author. Congress at War. First edition. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2020. 9780451494450 |
| Genre/form | History. |
| LCCN | 2019015354 |
| ISBN | 9780451494443 hardcover |
| ISBN | 045149444X hardcover |
| ISBN | electronic book |
