Slavery and the Coming of the Civil War: 1831-1861 Book

Discusses attitudes and events that led up to the Civil War, particularly the institution of slavery.

Children's Literature

Perhaps only the conquest and destruction of Native American people can compare with the horrors of the enslavement of Africans in this country. From the early seventeenth century until the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, millions of Africans and their descendants suffered under the harsh terms of American slavery. This book details the history of slavery in America through a review of key political and institutional evolutions during the time period prior to the Civil War. Beginning with the origins of colonial slavery in seventeenth century Virginia and culminating with the secession of the southern states due to Lincoln's election, the tale of American slavery is thoroughly presented. The horrors of the Middle Passage, the harsh discipline of slaves, the surprisingly small percentage of southerners who owned slaves, and the political factors that forestalled and then led to civil war are all covered in a professional manner. Political figures such as John Calhoun, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and Abraham Lincoln all cross the stage as participants in the quest to cope with the slavery issue. Similarly, good coverage is given to groups such as the Quakers, abolitionists, and writers who attempted to describe the realities of bondage. In the end it took warfare and the death of over 600,000 soldiers to put slavery to rest. This volume in "The Drama of American History" series does a fine job of tracing the pathway of one of the darkest elements in the American story.