And The War Came: The Slavery Quarrel And The American Civil War

This detailed account of slavery, from Jamestown through the Civil War, explains its economic importance (in the North as well as the South), its impact on the political dynamics of the Civil War, and the moral dilemmas it posed. Donald J. Meyers traces slavery s impact on economics and politics from Jamestown through the Civil War. This American crisis unfolds through the written and spoken words of the participants, representing every level of a society whose leadership originally postponed, then procrastinated and eventually failed to resolve a moral issue, creating a political impasse which intensified the passions that fueled the war.

When the war came, both sides were shocked by its ferocity and duration.

Anti-slavery leaders faced a moral and political challenge. In championing a union of states that sought independence from the motherland; to achieve union and independence, they had to compromise on slavery for the time being.