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Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis
Originally published in 1942, this perceptive and impartial analysis of one of the most baffling periods in American history--the months between the election of Lincoln and the fall of Fort Sumter--was a bold declaration of intellectual independence. David M. Potter revolted against the prevailing southern argument that Lincoln deliberately provoked the South into war to bring a violent end to slavery, arguing instead that the new president followed the least aggressive course available to him in dealing with the secession crisis.
Based on a painstaking examination of the writings and statements of both the northern principal players in the crisis and other, lesser-known Republicans who revealed the sentiment of the party's rank and file, this groundbreaking study details the Republicans' attitudes to the threat of secession, their reaction to the actual withdrawal of the southern states, and their faith that the Union could be restored without violence. Daniel W. Crofts provides a new Introduction, setting Potter's account in the context of contemporary literature.
In An Earlier Form, This Study Was Submitted As A Doctoral Dissertation At Yale [1940]
Based on a painstaking examination of the writings and statements of both the northern principal players in the crisis and other, lesser-known Republicans who revealed the sentiment of the party's rank and file, this groundbreaking study details the Republicans' attitudes to the threat of secession, their reaction to the actual withdrawal of the southern states, and their faith that the Union could be restored without violence. Daniel W. Crofts provides a new Introduction, setting Potter's account in the context of contemporary literature.
In An Earlier Form, This Study Was Submitted As A Doctoral Dissertation At Yale [1940]
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
60 people want to read
About the author
David Morris Potter
42 books5 followersDavid Morris Potter was an American historian of the South.
Potter posthumously won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for History
His most famous work was published posthumously.
*Do not rely on publication date vs. date of death for correct attribution.
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February 8, 2012
A classic analysis of the failings of the Republican Party to understand the seriousness of the secession threat. I was completely unaware of much of the information covered by Potter, and I have read many books on the crisis as well as the war. For anyone wanting a fuller understanding of the political dimension leading up to the firing on Fort Sumter, this is a must read.
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