In May 1861; Jefferson Davis issued a general call for volunteers for the Confederate Army. Men responded in such numbers that 200;000 had to be turned away. Few of these men would have attributed their zeal to the cause of states' rights or slavery. As All That Makes a Man: Love and Ambition in the Civil War South makes clear; most southern men saw the war more simply as a test of their manhood; a chance to defend the honor of their sweethearts; fiancés; and wives back home.Drawing upon diaries and personal letters; Stephen Berry seamlessly weaves together the stories of six very different men; detailing the tangled roles that love and ambition played in each man's life. Their writings reveal a male-dominated Southern culture that exalted women as "repositories of divine grace" and treasured romantic love as the platform from which men launched their bids for greatness. The exhilarating onset of war seemed to these; and most southern men; a grand opportunity to fulfill their ambition for glory and to prove their love for women--on the same field of battle. As the realities of the war became apparent; however; the letters and diaries turned from idealized themes of honor and country to solemn reflections on love and home. Elegant and poetic; All That Makes a Man recovers the emotional lives of unsung Southern men and women and reveals that the fiction of Cold Mountain mirrors a poignant reality. In their search for a cause worthy of their lives; many Southern soldiers were disappointed in their hopes for a Southern nation. But they still had their women's love; and there they would rebuild.
#773734 in Books 2004-11-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.10 x 1.90 x 10.10l; 5.01 #File Name: 0195162536864 pages
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Mystic ChordsBy Jason S. TaylorEvery politician talks of Liberty and/or Freedom. Some would say that is ironic as at least one definition of liberty is having as few politicians in one's hair as possible. But we can ignore that as alas; you need politicians to watch each other and of course if you spend all your time keeping politicians from stealing your Liberty you will of course find you have become-a politician.A more important point is that few of us seem to know what Liberty or Freedom is. They are just words. This book seeks to correct that.The book emphasizes that Liberty is Romance in linguistic origin and freedom is Celtic and Teutonic and that they are different cultural concepts. "Liberty" refers to privilege one enjoys; a City with Liberty has no Emperor; and is a nation unto itself. A person with liberty is not a slave; as so many were in the Mediterranean world; and as in some parts all men were(in Ancient Sumerian there was originally no word for freeman or citizen or anything like that; there was slave and there was master but some were apparently slaves of slaves).In the Teutonic sense; "free" is a function of brotherhood or "fraternity". To be within the tribe is also to be within the tribe's law. To have an appeal against overbearing chieftainsThe distinction makes sense. In large cities the tendency toward organization makes "Liberties" stand out more. A City that can achieve "Liberty" not merely in the collective sense but in the individual has achieved much. Farther to the North ties were looser; strangers took their life in their hands(which they did everywhere)and one did not need to travel far to be a stranger. It is "Freedom" that is an achievement.Yet the two are synergistic. One's Liberty is no fine thing if there are none who will help protect it; and one's Freedom is no fine thing if it is the Freedom of the anthill-if one's supposed fellows will allow you no "liberties."But that too is an abstract concept. The meat of the book is not abstraction. It is mythology(in the best sense) and art. With that we can travel through the(often hostile) subcultures; political factions; movements; and what not that effected America and see the various motifs they used for Liberty and Freedom. Some concepts seem more morally sound or attuned to justice then others. Certainly it is common for people to grow up proud of the aspect of "Liberty and Freedom" that they grew up with and be blind to it's weakness. But seeing an overview of different kinds of people from different backgrounds and how they expressed there ideas gives understanding as a whole.The book follows symbology used from Ancient times; to Northern European; to the American Colonial and Revolutionary periods to today. As well it gives foreign ideas; for Liberty and Freedom are not the possession of America(though OUR Liberty and OUR Freedom; certainly is).When you get through the book you will realize that America is not just an idea; and not just a nation. It is a "Liberty and Freedom obsessed" nation. You cannot separate the abstraction of Liberty or Freedom from the nationhood of America. But you will also be able to have a better grasp of what it means and why it is to be cherished.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. The Symbols of AmericaBy Grover SmithThis is a must for every American home . The highest quality of book binding ; it is put together to last a long time similar to Encyclopedia This book is is loaded with pictures (that's important for the young to help hold their interest) of Early colonial flags and folk art reflecting the love and imagination of the American people . My favorite part of the book is the extensive research into what the symbols meant to the men and women who designed and fought under the flags and who made the other emblems . Ex. Eagles ; American Indian images ; paintings ; propaganda of the growing party system and domestic arguments from Jamestown through to 2004 . I bought ten copies and gave one to each of my children and a couple of extra for friends who share my love of America . I like that he keeps the symbols in each original context(in the time of their creation). My favorite time periods ; are the first three hundred years . As much of the last hundred I have lived . IF you like American history Buy this book ; if you have Children buy this book ; if you home school buy this book . It will enlighten your personal understanding of where we have come from and the changes in these past years will stir you up to help restore American patriotism in our homes . A Great resource for this and following generations. David Hackett Fischer is a remarkable historian and a great writer best known for Washington's Crossing .47 of 48 people found the following review helpful. America's finest historian outdoes himselfBy OdysseusDavid Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed established him as one of the finest historians writing for a general audience. Since the publication of that landmark history; Fischer has produced a number of outstanding books; including among them Paul Revere's Ride; and Washington's Crossing; each of which skillfully demonstrates how cultural forces; reflected in individual decisions and actions; affected the course of events at a critical fork in the historical road.This latest work from Fischer compares favorably to his greatest works; and is a plausible candidate for his finest effort yet.To be great history; a work must succeed on several levels. One is that it must be interesting -- the reader must feel compelled to press on. Another is that it must be informative; it should educate; ideally in a fair way; conveying what is most important; and minimizing the influence of author bias. But the acid test of what makes for a great history may be whether it enables the reader to understand his world in a fundamentally new; insightful way. Albion's Seed and Fischer's other great works accomplish this. So too does Liberty and Freedom; in spades.Fischer aims to trace the development of the concepts and values of Liberty and Freedom throughout American history. To lay the foundation; he studies the terms themselves. Liberty; Fischer finds; derives from the classical Latin world; with connotations relating to the release from bondage. Consequently; in later history; it carries overtones of meaning the ability to move and to act without interference or constraint by others.Freedom; on the other hand; relates to the Germanic "Freiheit;" and has different connotations; specifically the possession of the full rights of citizenship; of belonging to a society. We see its connotations in phrases such as "the rights of free-born Englishmen;" the sense that in belonging to a community; each member is accorded certain rights and freedoms.Fischer argues that the English language is unique in carrying these twin concepts within the language in parallel; with the result that English-speaking cultures have long pursued both conceptions; and only more recently have begun to use the terms more interchangeably. The suggestion is made that the dual conception arises in part from the historical fact that both Romance and Germanic language and cultural influences implanted themselves in England many centuries ago.Fischer traces the flowering of the concepts of liberty and freedom in America; with great attention to how these have been expressed through popular culture and political argument. His history is one of broad participation; elected leaders make cases for their visions of liberty and freedom; but so too do the teeming masses express their evolving views of liberty and freedom in ways that shape the country's direction.Someone who is considering buying this book should be aware that this is just about the quickest 800 pages you will ever come across. I devoured it in just a few days on my commutes. His writing is brisk; the volume handsomely illustrated. The chapters are brief and thematically very tightly organized. If there is a slow patch in the book; I cannot recall it.One of Fischer's more interesting conclusions pertains to the role of America's military conflicts in shaping the progress of American freedom. His general thesis is that each conflict has led at first to a curtailment of individual freedom; but then has resulted in its considerable expansion. Consider; for example; that the Civil War began with the suspension of habeas corpus and ended not only with its reinstatement but with the (then) radical 13th; 14th; and 15th amendments; establishing emancipation and equal protection of the laws. WWII began with the incarceration of Japanese Americans; but its end ushered in the integration of America's schools; armed forces (and major league baseball.) Even the Cold War; which has become equated in Hollywood's popular memory with the early abuses by Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee; produced the boomerang effects of Miranda Rights; the Civil Rights act; and many other expansions of liberty in the 1960s.Fischer's message is a hopeful one in the climate of America's current conflict. He reminds us not only that each of America's conflicts has produced an initial constraint on individual liberties followed by their subsequent expansions; but also that each conflict has advanced the ball relative to the one before. The restraints on individual freedoms; for example; that occurred in the context of World War I far surpassed those that occurred in either WWII or the Cold War.Fischer saves his most powerful lesson till the end; when he documents that political power flows to those who publicly dedicate themselves to liberty and freedom; not to those who promise cradle-to-grave security; government-provided benefits; or any variant thereof. Americans' commitment to the twin conceptions of liberty and freedom remains strong even as Americans disagree on what these concepts mean and how they should apply to our daily lives. But the politician who ignores these fundamental values does so at his/her own peril.
