American Civil Wars - A Continental History, 1850-1873

In a beautifully crafted narrative of soaring ideals and sordid politics, of civil war and foreign invasion, Alan Taylor presents a pivotal twenty-year period in which the United States, Mexico and Canada all transformed themselves into nations. The American Civil War stands at the centre of the story, its military dimension and the drama of emancipation the focus. The American West and its Native peoples feature prominently, with fascinating detail on California and the southwest borderlands. The instability in the United States shakes the continent: it invites a French invasion of Mexico that fuels long-standing hostilities between Conservative and Liberal forces; in Canada it raises the urgency of a continental confederation to manage the differences of Francophones and Anglophones. The vivid character portraits throughout are indelible: from Lincoln, Jefferson Davis and the great Liberal leader Benito Juárez to key Black abolitionists such as Martin Delany and Mary Ann Shadd.

About the author

Alan Taylor, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history, is the author of American Revolutions and American Republics, prior volumes in his acclaimed continental history of the United States. He is professor emeritus of history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Product details

• Authors: Alan Taylor
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 04.07.2024
• EAN: 9781324035282
• ISBN: 978-1-324-03528-2
• Dimensions: 165 mm x 244 mm x 43 mm
• Weight: 943 g
• Illustrations: 80 illustrations
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, HISTORY / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), HISTORY / Military / United States, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, c 1800 to c 1900, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Civil wars, American Civil War, c 1850 to c 1859