Promotional Information

This succinct and readable account of the heated debate over the expansion of slavery provides readers with a thorough understanding of how the Civil War was precipitated.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword
Chronology of Events
Preface
Prologue: "The Sheet Anchor of American Republicanism": Lincoln in Peoria
Chapter 1. Slave Power, Free Soil, and Mr. Polk's War
Chapter 2. A False Peace: The Compromise of 1850
Chapter 3. The Making of a Perfect Storm: The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act
Chapter 4. The Republicans Field a Presidential Candidate
Chapter 5. Lincoln vs. Douglas
Chapter 6. From Wigwam to White House
Epilogue: Storm's Eve: "Think Calmly and Well"
Biographies: Personalities in the Antebellum Slavery Debate
Appendix: Primary Documents in the Antebellum Slavery Debate
Annotated Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Kerry Walters is the William Bittinger Professor of Philosophy and professor of peace and justice studies at Gettysburg College.

Reviews

Written in a clear and understandable manner, this book is recommended for all libraries in need of a work that neatly encapsulates the events leading to the most dramatic event in the nation's history.
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