Anticipating the approaching sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and slave emancipation, this course will explore the cause and consequences of the Civil War in light of recent scholarship. Among the questions addressed will be: How did the war’s purpose shift from “saving the union” to destroying slavery? What roles did slaves themselves play in changing the course of the war? What impact did the war have on the status of African Americans in the immediate post war period?
Seminar led by Thomas Holt, University of Chicago