The American Civil War: A Racial Reckoning

The American Civil War: A Racial Reckoning provides a concise but comprehensive overview of the American Civil War, placing race at the center of the war and Reconstruction experience.

The book discusses the sectional crisis and the expansion of slavery into new territories as precipitating events that led many Americans to see slavery as the most important issue facing the nation. Political developments and the military struggle are addressed in detail as well as the dramatic social and political changes that occurred as slavery and plantation societies crumbled. The author addresses the creation of Confederate monuments, the denial of the centrality of slavery in the conflict, and other efforts to redeem and memorialize the Confederacy as key components of the Lost Cause, as well as enduring reminders that the issues of white supremacy and racial inequality have yet to be resolved. Placing the Civil War and Reconstruction into the context of the nation’s continuing struggle for true equality, this text provides students with a thoughtful analysis of the war’s long-term impacts. An array of primary documents supports the text, together with a Chronology, Glossary, and Who's Who guide to key figures.

This book will be of interest to students of the Civil War and those on more general American history courses.

Philip D. Dillard is Professor of History at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he teaches courses in southern history, military history, and the Civil War era. Prior to becoming a professor, he served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army including assignments in Europe and the Persian Gulf.