Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A panoramic collection of essays written by both established and emerging scholars, American Discord examines the most critical aspects of the Civil War era, including rhetoric and nationalism, politics and violence, the military and war, gender, race, and religion. Beginning with an examination of party politics and political culture, the collection reveals that most Americans entered the decade opposed to political compromise. Essays from Megan L. Bever, Christian McWhirter, and Glenn David Brasher demonstrate that both reformers and politicians were quick to paint opponents as villains working on behalf of the "devil." Beyond this rancorous political culture, contributors show how northerners and southerners wove racial superiority into the political fabric of their region; every political party considered the opposition's views on slavery and emancipation to be signs of moral depravity. Next, essays by Rachel K. Deale and Lawrence A. Kreiser, Jr. explore themes of politics and violence through James Buchanan's bumbling treatment of secession and newspaper advertising.
Lindsay Rae Privette, Adam H. Petty, and A. Wilson Greene continue with contributions on the themes of internal conflict, lack of compromise, and commitment to white supremacy while shifting focus to the actual war. Here, contributors adopt a broad understanding of "battle," considering environmental effects and how the lives of the soldiers and civilians were shaped long after the guns were laid down. Essays by Laura Mammina and Charity Rakestraw and Kristopher Teters reveal that while the war may have blurred the boundaries between battle and home--and even civilian and soldier--its chaos ultimately prompted Americans to grasp for what was familiar: the established hierarchies of gender and race.
Examinations of chaos and internal division suggest that the political culture of Reconstruction was every bit as bitter as in the early 1860s. Former Confederates decried the barbarity of their Yankee conquerors; Republicans portrayed Democrats as backward rubes in need of civilizing. Essays by Kevin L. Hughes, Daniel J. Burge, T. Robert Hart, John F. Marszalek, and T. Michael Parrish highlight Americans' continued reliance on hyperbolic rhetoric and the ways that this rhetoric translated into violence against African Americans during years of postwar upheaval. As Reconstruction ended, Americans further molded the meaning of the war to suit their own ambitions.
American Discord embraces a multifaceted view of the Civil War and its aftermath, attempting to capture the complicated human experiences of the men and women caught in the conflict. These essays acknowledge that ordinary people and their experiences matter, and the dynamics among family members, friends, and enemies have far-reaching consequences.