Civil War and History Book Report

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American History

Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson is probably the most successful symbol of historiography's advancement. There are two concepts that are reflected in the book: that the main cause of war was the slavery of black people and it was not a pleasant experience. Looking at the title, it is evident that McPherson understands that black people's status was the core of the war in regard to cause and effect. Regardless of the ineptness and faultiness of the trial, freedom was in jeopardy. The author therefore rejects the tacitly racist explanations that try to make the issue seem less significant in favour of explanations that were economically and culturally favourable. He places black people as the main characters, emphasizing their military role and how they contributed towards the Union's abolition and survival (Nolan, 1989).

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn -- published for the first time in 1980 as a radical alternative to textbooks that were already established -- is currently used by Americans as the standard source from which they learn their history. It is hard to overemphasize how significant A People's History is to the American population. Although it holds an unapologetic perspective from the far left, it has reached and influenced beyond the borders of that quarter with over 2 million printed copies, some of which are prominently displayed in superstores in the suburbs (Plotnikoff, 2012).

Theme Associated

A People's History of the United States is a book that carries a lot of controversy. This is partly because of the bias, since Zinn's stand is far from the popular centrist-right perspective in US politics, but in my opinion it is mostly because Zinn refuses to support the long standing customs and beliefs of US history. This book serves as a reminder that the Revolutionary War was widely unpopular; that almost all the enthusiastically praised Founding Fathers were wealthy, white property owners who created a government that served their benefits; that Lincoln's campaign speeches supported slavery and his public stance was more equivocal than most people would want to believe. That the left was placing a lot of pressure on FDR and most of his actions can be interpreted as compromises in order to have some political advantage and prevent more overwhelming reforms; and that the Second World War was extensively profitable to corporations and saw a huge and abnormal number of workers' strikes. These sides of the stories are not usually brought to light. You will rarely hear about the early US politicians before the revolution pitting poor whites against Indians and blacks as a calculated political move, or about freed slaves being re-imposed into economic slavery as soon a s the Civil War ended (including work contracts whose details were only slightly different from slavery). This makes the book very important. Although everyone will not place as much weight on the information as Zinn did, this book should be known by every US history student (Allbery, 2005).

According to James M. McPherson, the author of Battle Cry of Freedom and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Lincoln and the Indians is a book that has managed to stay relevant through the years. It gives the readers an opportunity to understand the Indian policies that the US government had, or even lacked, in the era of the Civil War. Nichols shows an important perspective on the role that Lincoln played, providing a keen and intelligent analysis on how the 1962 Dakota War participants were tried in Minnesota. The role that Lincoln played in saving the lives of the convicted is clearly shown. Sheldon Wolfchild, an independent artist, actor and filmmaker states that the onset of the Indian System, for the people of Dakota, was marked by the discovery doctrine. It continued through and beyond the era of Abraham Lincoln. The United States had the responsibility to protect Indian parties' rights. However, eventually there was disgrace for the law of humanity as those who were guilty received glory.

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That story is told in this book and should therefore be read in every educational institution. The American Historical Review praises the book as one of the best that covers the issues of the Indians during the Lincoln era (Nichols, 2012).

Book Structure

According to the author, the main theme of the book is "the multiple meanings of slavery and freedom, and how they dissolved and reformed in the crucible of war". Similar to other historians in the same generation, McPherson refuses to follow the topical and thematic event analysis that his predecessors used. By a large extent, he supports his theme to the end of the book through the use of a concept known to him as contingency. He criticizes the lack of this notion in previous works. McPherson usually borders on history that is conditional in his arguments on contingencies that could have possibly resulted to other unless desirable results in his opinion. Although his thesis is flawed, McPherson supports his theme with 862 pages that are properly written and sourced. Ignoring the knowledge of previous and abler scholars, one can note that his argument lacks enough knowledge to make it endure (Clark, 2016).

A People's History of the United States is a book whose content has been described as revisionist history. Its purpose is to record the history of the US as it was viewed by "the people" -- blacks, the poor, Indians living in the US, and women; basically people who were previously unrepresented in the US government. The book attacks the basic perspective of the US history as one that is filled with heroes in pursuit of freedom and goes ahead to portray it in a dismal picture full of control and oppression. In this book we are reminded that Christopher Columbus was directly involved in genocide, Abraham Lincoln was not concerned about the freedom of slaves while the Founding Fathers established a government that favoured wealthy white slave masters. The book creates the impression that the country is ran by the wealthy minority, that the main aim of both the domestic and foreign policies is to protect the interest of the corporate sector ("national interest"), that the media, judiciary and government work together in to maintain that state of affairs, and that the status quo has been in existence since the Revolution. Although this is not new to the majority of the population, it is shocking to see it written down and summarised articulately (Book Review: A People's History Of The United States, 2010).

Narration

Battle Cry of Freedom, with its unbiased information and interpretations, attacking old beliefs and questioning the new ones, is definitely going to be an all-inclusive standard Civil War history. In rapid succession, the book incorporates the social, military and political events that filled the last twenty years, including how war began in Mexico to how it ended in Appomattox. Filled with dramatizations and an analytical perspective, McPherson vividly takes the readers through the events that happened before the Civil War, the debates between Lincoln and Douglas, as well as the raid on Harper's ferry by John Brown. It then shifts to the explicit narration of the war- covering the battles, strategic battle moves from both camps, the personalities as well as politics. McPherson's new stand on issues such as the 1850s-slavery expansion, the Republican Party origin, secession causes, resistance from within and the South and North's anti-war resistances well as reasons why the Union emerged victorious are especially notable. The title of the book reflects the attitude with which both the North and the South viewed the war: The South owing its success to the self-government and determination for which their ancestors had fought for in 1776. The North, on the other hand, was defending the Union that their ancestors had created as the fort of liberty in America (Battle cry of freedom: the Civil War era - Review, 1988).

A People's History of the United States attempts to even the.....

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