Editorial Reviews
Book Description
While slavery is often at the heart of debates over the causes of the Civil War, historians are not agreed on precisely what aspect of slavery-with its various social, economic, political, cultural, and moral ramifications-gave rise to the sectional rift. In Calculating the Value of the Union, James Huston integrates economic, social, and political history to argue that the issue of property rights as they pertained to slavery was at the center of the Civil War.
In the early years of the nineteenth century, southern slaveholders sought a national definition of property rights that would recognize and protect their ownership of slaves. Northern interests, on the other hand, opposed any national interpretation of property rights because of the threat slavery posed to the northern free labor market, particularly if allowed to spread to western territories. This impasse sparked a process of political realignment that culminated in the creation of the Republican Party, ultimately leading to the secession crisis.
Deeply researched and carefully written, this study rebuts recent trends in antebellum historiography and persuasively argues for a fundamentally economic interpretation of the slavery issue and the coming of the Civil War.
About the Author
James L. Huston is professor of history at Oklahoma State University. His books include Securing the Fruits of Labor: The American Concept of Wealth Distribution, 1765-1900.
Calculating the Value of the Union: Slavery, Property Rights, and the Economic Origins of the Civil War (Civil War America),James L. Huston,The University of North Carolina Press,0807828041,Causes,Civil War, 1861-1865,Economic History,Economic aspects,History,History - U.S.,History: American,Public Policy - Economic Policy,Right of property,Slavery,United States,United States - Civil War,Civil War; History/United States: General; ,History / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877)
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