Legacy of Disunion: The Enduring Significance of the American Civil War

The conviction that the American Civil War left a massive legacy to the country has generally been much clearer than the definition of what that legacy is. Did the war, as Ulysses S. Grant believed, bequeath power, intelligence, and sectional harmony to America, or did it, as many have argued since, sow racial and regional bitterness that has blighted the nation since 1865? What, exactly, was the legacy of disunion?

This collection explores that question from a variety of angles, showcasing the work of twelve scholars from the United States and the United Kingdom. The essays ponder the role of history, myth, and media in sustaining the memory of the war and its racial implications in the South; Abraham Lincoln’s legacy; and the war’s consequences in less studied areas, such as civil-military relations, constitutional and legal history, and America’s ascent on the international stage. By juxtaposing American and non-American interpretations, this stimulating volume sheds light on aspects of the war’s legacy that from a purely American viewpoint are sometimes too close for comfort. Perhaps the greatest legacy of the Civil War is its ongoing debate and continuing fascination worldwide.

Susan-Mary Grant, Reader in American History at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, is the author of North over South: Northern Nationalism and American Identity in the Antebellum Era and the coeditor of The American Civil War: Explorations and Reconsiderations.

Peter J. Parish (1929–2002) was the Mellon Senior Research Fellow in American History at the University of Cambridge. He was the author of The American Civil War and Slavery: History and Historians, among other books.