Best regards, Andrew Stewart
Begin forwarded message: > From: H-Net Staff via H-REVIEW <[email protected]> > Date: December 6, 2020 at 1:09:57 PM EST > To: [email protected] > Cc: H-Net Staff <[email protected]> > Subject: H-Net Review [H-Nationalism]: Reese on Finkelman and Kennon, > 'Civil War Congress and the Creation of Modern America: A Revolution on the > Home Front' > Reply-To: [email protected] > > Paul Finkelman, Donald R. Kennon, eds. Civil War Congress and the > Creation of Modern America: A Revolution on the Home Front. Athens > Ohio University Press, 2018. vi + 226 pp. $35.00 (cloth), ISBN > 978-0-8214-2338-7. > > Reviewed by Elizabeth M. Reese (Independent Scholar) > Published on H-Nationalism (December, 2020) > Commissioned by Evan C. Rothera > > The US Civil War is a topic that is so dense that many find it > intimidating. Though spanning only four years, the societal and > economic repercussions endured throughout the country long after the > final guns fell silent. Though the Civil War bookshelf is at times > over-stacked and under-read, a book like _Civil War Congress and the > Creation of Modern America_ is one that speaks to both > well-researched historians and those who are just looking to dip > their toes in the water of the era. The book contains seven essays, > diving into different topics that the Civil War Congress dealt with > that had an impact on the country long after the war concluded. This > unique perspective allows readers to see the Civil War from a > congressional point of view, a different view than the blood-soaked > battlefields usually associated with the time period. By pulling > focus away from soldiers and toward civilians and lawmakers, Paul > Finkelman and Donald R. Kennon have produced a book that reminds the > reader that the impact of wars is seen not just on the battlefield > but also through legislation. > > In the introduction, Finkelman states that we live in a society > dramatically shaped by the Civil War. Opening with such a powerful > message helps readers avoid the mindset that the war only took place > within four years in the mid-nineteenth century. As the contributors > reveal, the conflict very much still influences our lives today. > > In the first essay, Jennifer L. Weber discusses the country's need > for enlistment and the pains the federal government took to avoid > conscription in the early part of the war prior to the passage of the > Enrollment Act in 1863. The second essay, by Jenny Bourne, addresses > the switch from state governments to the national government playing > a larger role in finances. Both chapters focus on the role Congress > played in the development of legislative powers during the war. Prior > to the Civil War, national conscription was largely unnecessary as > local and state militias were filling the ranks needed for soldiers. > However, due to the secession of southern states, men were needed to > fill army ranks and the Enrollment Act was passed. By grouping these > two topics together, readers can visualize two lasting impacts of > Congress: a national draft and the need to decrease federal spending. > > In the third essay, Daniel W. Stowell explores the role of women in > the federal workforce. Today, women comprise about half the federal > workforce but prior to the Civil War no women worked in the federal > government offices in the federal city. Stowell discusses the change > in culture for women and their influence on federal decision-making. > Women gained employment in clerical office positions left open by men > who went to war, a trend that occurred again in the wars of the > twentieth century. Stowell weaves a clear message of the difficulty > women faced by breaking societal norms yet also shows how they > cleared the path for countless women who followed them. > > The fourth essay, by Peter Wallenstein, analyzes the Morrill > Land-Grant College Act of 1862, which created land grants to colleges > in US states using the proceeds of federal land sales. In the fifth > essay, Finkelman discusses the military conflict in the state of > Minnesota during the Dakota War. Both essays address the issue of > federal land, though in different ways. The Morrill Land-Grant > College Act, an important piece of legislation, completely > transformed the accessibility of higher education in the US. On the > other hand, the Dakota were forced off their land by federal > legislation, which led to the war and, eventually, the execution of > thirty-eight Dakota men. These events, both of which occurred in > 1862, point to a jarring difference in the impact of legislating > federal lands. > > The final two chapters reflect on the legacy of the presidency and > symbolism of the era. Jean H. Baker discusses Abraham Lincoln's life > in the White House, while Guy Gugliotta takes readers a few blocks > down Pennsylvania Avenue to the new Capitol dome. Baker and Gugliotta > explore Lincoln's presidency and the construction of the dome in real > time and explain how both have concrete influence on Congress and the > US today. The legacy of Lincoln's White House continues to be > considered the almost unattainable goal for presidents. Lincoln's > ability to maintain the Union even at great cost to himself and the > country is why he is continually ranked as one of the greatest > presidents in history. Comparably, the rebuilding of the Capitol dome > during the war was another gesture seen as powerful and symbolic at > the time that is visible today. The construction continued throughout > the war, despite political differences of members of Congress > responsible for approving the design, and the dome still stands > today. > > One of the drawbacks of this book is the format. While readers can > jump from one topic to another, the lack of continuous flow and > writing style requires some adjustment from the reader. Finkelman and > Kennon are aware of this drawback and attempted to loosely group the > essays in a way that highlights thematic connections. The essays > track the impact congressional legislation had on national finances, > gender culture shifts, federal land, and national legacy. The strong > final two essays of the volume leave a powerful message of the > lasting impact of congressional leadership during the Civil War, not > only making a satisfying read but also leaving readers something to > ponder: what will be the lasting impact of Congress in our lifetime? > > Overall, _Civil War Congress and the Creation of Modern America_ is a > refreshing, nuanced take on a topic that has rarely received > sustained attention. The book is well suited for public historians, > as well as graduate students who are studying the specific topic of > Congress and the Civil War and the impact of congressional > legislation. > > Citation: Elizabeth M. Reese. Review of Finkelman, Paul; Kennon, > Donald R., eds., _Civil War Congress and the Creation of Modern > America: A Revolution on the Home Front_. H-Nationalism, H-Net > Reviews. December, 2020. > URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=55613 > > This work is licensed under a Creative Commons > Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States > License. > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#4214): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/4214 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/78760526/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
