Reviews
"William Freehling brings to a climax his story of southerners alienation from the Union with an epic volume. He interweaves trenchant analysis of the large forces at play with a narrative that honors the human, the dramatic, and the contingent. His South is plural and divided, its coursetowards revolution shaped by the clash between democratic processes and the despotism of slavery, and by the urgings of an aggressive separatist minority. Deeply researched and absorbingly written, Secessionists Triumphant is the work of an outstanding historian at the height of his powers."--Richard Carwardine, author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power, "The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine, Civil War Book Review "Freehling follows up his highly praised Secessionists at Bay, 1776- 1854 in this exhaustive, scholarly look at the collisions between the lofty American goals of freedom and democracy and the strong desire of Southern slave owners and their supporters to subvert those ideals by defending whites enslavement of blacks. ..A good deal of the book focuses on differences of opinion on secession throughout the South, and includes a sharp analysis of the generally underappreciated role of the pro-slavery, pro-secessionist "fire-eaters," such as William Lowndes Yancey and Preston Smith Brooks Like its predecessor, this volume is an important work that will appeal mainly to scholars and students of the Civil War."--Publishers Weekly "A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher, The Boston Globe "A masterful, dramatic, breathtakingly detailed narrative."--The Baltimore Sun "William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history.--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World "In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression." --James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom "Secessionists Triumphant is outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race to their destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club "William Freehling brings to a climax his story of southerners alienation from the Union with an epic volume. He interweaves trenchant analysis of the large forces at play with a narrative that honors the human, the dramatic, and the contingent. His South is plural and divided, its course towards revolution shaped by the clash between democratic processes and the despotism of slavery, and by the urgings of an aggressive separatist minority. Deeply researched and absorbingly written, Secessionists Triumphant is the work of an outstanding historian at the height of his powers." --Richard Carwardine, author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power "By untangling the knotted relationship between the despotism of African American enslavement and the egalitarianism of white democracy, William Freehling brilliantly illuminates the politics that drove the white South and the nation to Civil War." --Ira Berlin, University of Maryland, "In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to forcewavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression." --James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom, "This book by one of the major names in southern history is an important study that anyone interested in the Civil War era must read and consider carefully....A major new interpretation of how this war came upon the county....Freehling makes it clear that he is in the business of providing analysis and retelling an epic."--Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, The North Carolina Historical Review "A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher, The Boston Globe "Secessionists Triumphant is outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race to their destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club "In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression."--James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom "The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine, Civil War Book Review "William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history."--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World, "Splendid, painstaking account...and so a work of history reaches into the past to illuminate the present. It is light we need, and we owe Freehling a debt for shedding it."--Washington Post, "This book by one of the major names in southern history is an important study that anyone interested in the Civil War era must read and consider carefully.... A major new interpretation of how this war came upon the county.... Freehling makes it clear that he is in the business of providing analysis and retelling an epic."--Nicholas Evan Sarantakes,The North Carolina Historical Review "A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher,The Boston Globe "Secessionists Triumphantis outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race to their destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club "In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression." --James M. McPherson, author ofBattle Cry of Freedom "The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine,Civil War Book Review "William Freehling's long-awaited second volume ofThe Road to Disunionis a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history."--David Brion Davis, author ofInhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World, "Secessionists Triumphant is outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race totheir destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club, "The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine, Civil War Book Review, "This book by one of the major names in southern history is an important study that anyone interested in the Civil War era must read and consider carefully.... A major new interpretation of how this war came upon the county.... Freehling makes it clear that he is in the business of providing analysis and retelling an epic."--Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, The North Carolina Historical Review "A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher, The Boston Globe "Secessionists Triumphant is outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race to their destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club "In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression." --James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom "The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine, Civil War Book Review "William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history."--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World, "Freehling follows up his highly praised Secessionists at Bay, 1776- 1854 in this exhaustive, scholarly look at the collisions between the lofty American goals of freedom and democracy and the strong desire of Southern slave owners and their supporters to subvert those ideals by defendingwhites enslavement of blacks. ..A good deal of the book focuses on differences of opinion on secession throughout the South, and includes a sharp analysis of the generally underappreciated role of the pro-slavery, pro-secessionist "fire-eaters," such as William Lowndes Yancey and Preston SmithBrooks Like its predecessor, this volume is an important work that will appeal mainly to scholars and students of the Civil War."--Publishers Weekly, "This book by one of the major names in southern history is an important study that anyone interested in the Civil War era must read and consider carefully....A major new interpretation of how this war came upon the county....Freehling makes it clear that he is in the business of providing analysis and retelling an epic."--Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, The North Carolina Historical Review"A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher, The Boston Globe"Secessionists Triumphant is outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race to their destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club"In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression."--JamesM. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom"The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine, Civil War Book Review"William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history."--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in theNew World, "William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help toexplain what can still be seen as the central event in American history."--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World, "Writing in the grand narrative tradition, Freehling introduces us to countless new pieces of evidence, provides a plethora of small and large interpretations of small events and broad processes, and draws extraordinary sketches of key southern actors."--James L. Hutson, Civil War History "The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine, Civil War Book Review "Splendid, painstaking account...and so a work of history reaches into the past to illuminate the present. It is light we need, and we owe Freehling a debt for shedding it."-- Washington Post "Freehling follows up his highly praised Secessionists at Bay, 1776- 1854 in this exhaustive, scholarly look at the collisions between the lofty American goals of freedom and democracy and the strong desire of Southern slave owners and their supporters to subvert those ideals by defending whites enslavement of blacks. ..A good deal of the book focuses on differences of opinion on secession throughout the South, and includes a sharp analysis of the generally underappreciated role of the pro-slavery, pro-secessionist "fire-eaters," such as William Lowndes Yancey and Preston Smith Brooks Like its predecessor, this volume is an important work that will appeal mainly to scholars and students of the Civil War."-- Publishers Weekly "A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher, The Boston Globe "This sure-to-be-lasting work-studded with pen portraits and consistently astute in its appraisal of the subtle cultural and geographic variations in the region-adds crucial layers to scholarship on the origins of America's bloodiest conflict."-- The Atlantic Monthly "A masterful, dramatic, breathtakingly detailed narrative."-- The Baltimore Sun "William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history.--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World "In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression." --James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom " Secessionists Triumphant is outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race to their destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club "William Freehling brings to a climax his story of southerners alienation from the Union with an epic volume. He interweaves trenchant analysis of the large forces at play with a narrative that honors the human, the dramatic, and the contingent. His South is plural and divided, its course towards revolution shaped by the clash between democratic processes and the despotism of slavery, and by the urgings of an aggressive separatist minority. Deeply researched and absorbingly written, Secessionists Triumphant is the work of an outstanding historian at the height of his powers." --Richard Carwardine, author of, "This book by one of the major names in southern history is an important study that anyone interested in the Civil War era must read and consider carefully....A major new interpretation of how this war came upon the county....Freehling makes it clear that he is in the business of providing analysis and retelling an epic."--Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, The North Carolina Historical Review"A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher, The Boston Globe"Secessionists Triumphant is outstanding, history at its best, illuminating one of the most crucial moments in our national experience, and at the same time showing how sane men and women who thought they had their own best interests at heart, could willingly indeed for some gleefully race to their destruction."--William C. Davis, History Book Club"In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression."--James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom"The adjective 'magisterial' has been badly overused and devalued of late, but if it properly describes anyone's work, it certainly does Freehling's. The completion of this project is a genuinely monumental achievement."--Bruce Levine, Civil War Book Review"William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history."--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World, "By untangling the knotted relationship between the despotism of African American enslavement and the egalitarianism of white democracy, William Freehling brilliantly illuminates the politics that drove the white South and the nation to Civil War." --Ira Berlin, University of Maryland, "William Freehling's long-awaited second volume of The Road to Disunion is a brilliant and indispensable reinterpretation of the causes of the Civil War. With much original insight, Freehling skillfully fuses impersonal economic and political forces with the crucial contingencies that help to explain what can still be seen as the central event in American history.--David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World "In richer detail than any previous study, William Freehling explains how a secessionist minority, even in the lower South before 1860, exploited sectional tensions to forge a majority for disunion. Fearful that slavery might erode and eventually crumble, they went on the offensive to force wavering moderates into the secessionist fold and then to provoke a showdown at Fort Sumter. Freehling makes clear that it was indeed a war of Southern aggression." --James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom "William Freehling brings to a climax his story of southerners alienation from the Union with an epic volume. He interweaves trenchant analysis of the large forces at play with a narrative that honors the human, the dramatic, and the contingent. His South is plural and divided, its course towards revolution shaped by the clash between democratic processes and the despotism of slavery, and by the urgings of an aggressive separatist minority. Deeply researched and absorbingly written, Secessionists Triumphant is the work of an outstanding historian at the height of his powers." --Richard Carwardine, author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power "By untangling the knotted relationship between the despotism of African American enslavement and the egalitarianism of white democracy, William Freehling brilliantly illuminates the politics that drove the white South and the nation to Civil War." --Ira Berlin, University of Maryland, "A hard-nosed and dramatic account of how the nation split in 1861."--David Waldstreicher, The Boston Globe
