Winner of the Merle Curti Award Winner of the Shear James Broussard First Book PrizeIn The Problem of Democracy in the Age of Slavery; W. Caleb McDaniel sets forth a new interpretation of the Garrisonian abolitionists; stressing their deep ties to reformers and liberal thinkers in Great Britain and Europe. The group of American reformers known as "Garrisonians" included; at various times; some of the most significant and familiar figures in the history of the antebellum struggle over slavery: Wendell Phillips; Frederick Douglass; and William Lloyd Garrison himself. Between 1830 and 1870; American abolitionists led by Garrison developed extensive networks of friendship; correspondence; and intellectual exchange with a wide range of European reformers -- Chartists; free trade advocates; Irish nationalists; and European revolutionaries. Garrison signaled the importance of these ties to his movement with the well-known cosmopolitan motto he printed on every issue of his famous newspaper; The Liberator: "Our Country is the World -- Our Countrymen are All Mankind." That motto serves as an impetus for McDaniel's study; which shows that Garrison and his movement must be placed squarely within the context of transatlantic mid-nineteenth-century reform. Through exposure to contemporary European thinkers -- such as Alexis de Tocqueville; Giuseppe Mazzini; and John Stuart Mill -- Garrisonian abolitionists came to understand their own movement not only as an effort to mold public opinion about slavery but also as a measure to defend democracy in an Atlantic World still dominated by aristocracy and monarchy. While convinced that democracy offered the best form of government; Garrisonians recognized that the persistence of slavery in the United States revealed problems with the political system. They identified the participation of minority agitators as part of the process in a healthy democratic society.Ultimately; Garrisonians' transatlantic activities reveal their deep patriotism; their interest in using public opinion to affect American politics; and their similarities to other antislavery groups. By following Garrisonian abolitionists across the Atlantic Ocean and exhaustively documenting their international networks; McDaniel challenges many of the timeworn stereotypes that still cling to their movement. He argues for a new image of Garrison's band as politically savvy; intellectually sophisticated liberal reformers; who were well informed about transatlantic debates regarding the problem of democracy.
#2390097 in Books Louisiana State Univ Pr 2010-05-24 2010-05-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.28 x .90 x 6.30l; 1.16 #File Name: 0807136417280 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Controversial National MemoriesBy LeeFirst off; I sincerely enjoyed reading this book. Then again I was a captive audience seeing as how the study of Civil War prisons is a passion of mine; especially Andersonville.The author traces the impact of Civil War prisons on our country's memory with special emphasis on such facets of the topic as the utilization of the "bloody shirt" in the Reconstruction South and how the martyred Union POWs became the favored topic of Northern politicians; speakers at memorial events; newspaper articles; etc.The "blame game" is further examined as the South counters Northern verbage eliciting high death rates and deplorable conditions in camps as intentional with the argument that the breakdown of the transportation (rail) system; the federal blockade of the Confederate coastline and resulting deficit in medical supplies and food were largely to blame. This line of thinking and the breakdown of the Dix - Hill Cartel prisoner exchange system due to political squabbling and the refusal of the Confederacy to exchange captured black prisoners became popular topics for speeches by former POWs on both sides at reunions; monument dedications and gatherings of the old soldiers.Published prison narratives; initially Northern and later Southern became embittered diatribes focused on the enemy's avowed purpose of designing prisons to kill as many of the unfortunate captives as possible. These played a key role in the aforementioned "blame game" and until the old veterans began dying off in large numbers; had a strong influence on Northern and Southern memories of the war.As time passed with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes and the end of Reconstruction; the Spanish American War and America's participation in the World Wars; passions began to cool and Americans; North and South focused less on pointing the finger at the opposition and began to embrace the idea that the heroic deeds of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb were worthy of note by all Americans.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Illuminating Study of Civil War prisonsBy colinwoodwardBen Cloyd's well-written and argued book examines the role Civil War prisons; especially the atrocities at Andersonville; have played in our collective memories of the conflict. Since the book is relatively brief; it does not attempt to analyze all aspects of Civil War prisons. Mostly; Cloyd focuses on the ongoing debate about how Americans have tried to construct a "usable history" from Andersonville prison; which represented one of the most horrific episodes of the war. The book shows how African Americans living near the Georgia site had a very different take on the meaning of the war and emancipation. In contrast; southern whites of the late nineteenth century were constructing a Lost Cause myth that had to explain away the shocking loss of life at the prison. Cloyds' impressive first book adds to the literature on Civil War memory and reconciliation; especially the understudied area of Confederate prisons.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. InformativeBy pepzioneI bought the book hoping to read more about individuals and their stories. This book is informative about the actual conditions of the various prisons but it was not what I was looking for.
