Civil War : people and perspectives Cover Image

Book

Civil War : people and perspectives / Lisa Tendrich Frank, editor ; Peter C. Mancall, series editor.

Summary:

This volume offers a social historian's view of the Civil War, shifting the focus away from political and military leaders to look at how the war affected, and was affected by, ordinary citizens of all kinds.Civil War: People and Perspectives looks at one of the most convulsive events in American history through the eyes of ordinary citizens, examining issues related to the home front and war front across the full spectrum of racial, class, and gender boundaries. Moving away from the traditional focus on famous political and military figures, this insightful volume recounts the experiences of soldiers, women and children, slaves and freed persons, Native Americans, immigrants, and other social groups during a time of extraordinary national upheaval. It is a revealing look at how the lives of everyday people―Northern and Southern, black and white, rich and poor, male and female, enslaved and free―shaped and were shaped by the American Civil War.Primary source documents provide firsthand accounts of what life was like away from the spotlight of history during the Civil WarEach essay contains two biographical sidebars that personalize the experiences discussed in the chapter

Record details

ISBN: 9781598840353 (hard copy : alk. paper)
ISBN: 1598840355 (hard copy : alk. paper)
ISBN: 9781598840360 (ebook : alk. paper)
ISBN: 1598840363 (ebook : alk. paper)
Physical Description: xxxviii, 237 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
Publisher: Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, Inc., c2009.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [213]-231) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

"A soldier's life is a hard one at best": soldiers in the American Civil War / John M. Sacher -- When the home front became a battlefront : civilians in invaded and occupied areas / Antoinette G. Van Zelm -- War on two fronts : women during the Civil War / Lisa Tendrich Frank -- Children and the Civil War / Karen A. Kehoe / Patriotism, preparation, and reputation : immigrants in battle and on the home front in the American Civil War / Fiona Deans Halloran -- From enslaved to liberators: African Americans and the Civil War / Julie Holcomb -- The longhouse divided : Native Americans during the American Civil War / Andrew K. Frank -- Becoming American : Catholics, Jews, and Mormons during the American Civil War / Sarah Nytroe -- The urban Civil War / Clinton Terry.