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Book Review of The Imperiled Union: Essays on the Background of the Civil War

The Imperiled Union: Essays on the Background of the Civil War
reviewed on


This is an excellent and thought-provoking collection of essays. The two I enjoyed the most were chapter four, "Race, Slavery, and the Republican Party of the 1850s" and chapter seven, "The Irrepressible Conflict." Both are Stampp's carefully argued critiques of the interpretations of other historians on their respective topics. Chapter eight is also well worth reading for anyone interested in the failure of the Confederacy to achieve independence. I am not sure I agree with his argument, but it is interesting to contemplate.