Frederick Douglass was unquestionably the foremost black American of the nineteenth century. The extraordinary life of this former slave turned abolitionist orator; newspaper editor; social reformer; race leader; and Republican party advocate has inspired many biographies over the years. This; however; is the first full-scale study of the origins; contours; development; and significance of Douglass's thought.Brilliant and to a large degree self-taught; Douglass personified intellectual activism; he possessed a sincere concern for the uses and consequences of ideas. Both his people's struggle for liberation and his individual experiences; which he envisioned as symbolizing that struggle; provided the basis and structure for his intellectual maturation. As a representative American; he internalized and; thus; reflected major currents in the contemporary American mind. As a representative Afro-American; he revealed in his thinking the deep-seated influence of race on Euro-American; Afro-American; or; broadly conceived; American consciousness. He sought to resolve in his thinking the dynamic tension between his identities as a black and as an American.Martin assesses not only how Douglass dealt with this enduring conflict; but also the extent of his success. An inveterate belief in a universal and egalitarian humanism unified Douglass's thought. This grand organizing principle reflected his intellectual roots in the three major traditions of mid-nineteenth-century American thought: Protestant Christianity; the Enlightenment; and romanticism. Together; these influences buttressed his characteristic optimism. Although nineteenth-century Afro-American intellectual history derived its central premises and outlook from concurrent American intellectual history; it offered a searching critique of the latter and its ramifications. How to square America's rhetoric of freedom; equality; and justice with the reality of slavery and racial prejudice was the difficulty that confronted such Afro-American thinkers as Douglass.
#3482528 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2005-05-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.15 x 6.56 x 9.36l; #File Name: 080782948X360 pages
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. It's OKBy Thomas P. MyersDecent collateral reading but not an essential book. I often found myself thinking; "get on with it!"I would have liked to know more about this sample; probably in appendix. Who was in it? What was their family background? The 1850 and 1860 census would provide useful data about family wealth and position of child in family. How is the sample among colleges balanced?3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A Fresh Perspective on Virginians Before; During; and After Civil WarBy gburgalum01I owned this book for three years; and after only recently picking it up to read it; I realized what I was missing out on during that time. This is a fresh and descriptive analysis of the young Virginia generation before; during; and after the war. As one who has read dozens of books on the Civil War; it was this one more than any other that best explains how and why Virginians formed their fundamental opinions of their native state; the Southern region; and Northern industrialism during the antebellum period. Through their viewpoint that Virginia's reputation and standing in the Union was diminished during the period prior to the war; it becomes clear that the war gave these young Virginians an opportunity to improve the status of their commonwealth while cementing their place among men in their state. Though one often gets the perception through Carmichael's writing that these were overzealous; egotistical young men; their conduct in the war brings to fruition their importance in the New South.Carmichael's writing is interesting and well-detailed with a wide variety of excellent material from both primary and secondary sources. His inclusion of statistics on the members of the last generation provides ample insight into the professions; religious affiliation; and other important data on the members of the last generation. Even more than "For Cause and Comrades" by James McPherson; this book will expose why a reluctant Virginia joined the Confederacy and explains clearly how the young Virginia generation almost pushed the South to ultimate victory.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A New Look at the Civil WarBy Nathan MarshburnIn his book; "The Last Generation;" Peter Carmichael explores the psyche; values; goals and visions of the young caucasian men of Virginia who came into adulthood just as our nation descended into the Civil War. Born to privilege in the 1830s and early 1840s; these men were in colleges and schools across Virginia and the nation when the crisis of secession reached its apex in 1860 and 1861. Once the war started; they served as junior officers in the Army of Northern Virginia; leading their peers into combat and fighting alongside them.The book is a generational study and an examination of Confederate nationalism in the young Virginians. Carmichael first takes us through the 1850s; a time when young Virginians worried about the future of their state and their place in it. They watched as the North increasingly distanced itself from Virginia through industrialization and internal improvements. They feared that Virginia; the home state of four of the first five U.S. presidents; was becoming moribund under the leadership of its elders; "old fogies" who lived on past glories of events such as the American Revolution and who encouraged unthinking opposition to change even at the expense of educational and economic reform.At the same time; the young Virginians had to find a way to reconcile slavery; the system upon which they depended for their wealth and social standing; with the free labor system of the North. Some of the strongest points in Carmichael's book delineate how these men did just this. Their belief that slavery was sanctioned by the Bible as necessary because God had created races to be inherently unequal; coupled with their belief that Southerners were God's chosen people; sustained many young soldiers throughout the war. Even as it became clear in 1864 and 1865 that the war would be lost; Carmichael cites examples that show these men could not distinguish between their religious beliefs and political nationalism. To the end; many young Virginians believed that God would not allow the North to be victorious. Young Virginians sincerely believed that theirs was a unique Christian society trying to survive in a godless world. The book is careful to point out that young Virginians gave considerable thought to secession and do not fit the traditional stereotype of secondary scholars who say young Southerners were drawn to the flame of secession like boys playing with fire.The book looks at the leadership style of young Virginians once the war started. Examples are cited of how they maintained order and discipline in the ranks; what they thought of battle and death; and how they maintained their morale through defeats. Some colorful anecdotes are also included in "The Last Generation": Jeb Stuart's thoughts on women while he was a cadet in West Point; NY; the president of Washington College and his comical attempt to control the secession frenzy sweeping his campus; the notion of body building by young Virginians in college as a way to "muscularize" and "masculinize" their Christianity.In the final chapter of the book; Carmichael examines the fate of various members of the Last Generation who managed to survive the war. He explains how they adjusted to Reconstruction. The romanticized; "Moonlight and Magnolias" view of some ex-Confederates is contrasted with those who wished Virginia to take a new role of leadership and have the economy of the state resemble more closely that of the North.This book contributes greatly to the discussion of why some Southerners fought the war- a question which will probably always be debated. Through diligent research and thorough explanation; Carmichael presents a new picture of a generation of Southerners of the Civil War era. His book takes into account many factors that made "The Last Generation" distinct from their Northern counterparts and from the older Virginians who preceded them. It is an important book on dispelling stereotypes of the young Confederates and in understanding the complexity of the South as a whole.
