Robert W. Merry

This ambitious book takes readers through an entire decade of history, documenting America’s division by concentrating on Massachusetts and South Carolina. It shows how abolitionism became the preeminent Northern concern while the South held the reins of government, with presidential support, to protect their institution of slavery.

On one side, it is the story of a moral awakening and acknowledgement that slavery was a communal sin, with a belief in a higher law than mere human government. The other side held states rights as necessary to the freedoms protected by the Constitution, asserting that the founding fathers meant to protect slavery.

Again and again while reading this history I noted the echoes of this division reverberating throughout history, to today’s politically divided world.

The book is dense with key political players brilliantly portrayed, fully covering all the important events of the decade.

I was left with a sobering awareness of the continuing battle that is democracy, with hopes that the ‘higher morality’ of equality and justice continues to prevail.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.… (mehr)

Good presidential biography that gives a lot of historical context to what is happening at the time of McKinley's presidency. The Spanish American War is a big topic, how the US was pulled into war with Spain and ended up with Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines as territories.

There is a historical debate about whether McKinley actively changed the presidency and the United States's place in the world or if he just happened to be the president when these things happen. This author seems to be defending McKinley as an active participant but does try to give some insight into both view.… (mehr)