Disunion!: The Coming of the American Civil War, 1789-1859

A Disunion!: The Coming of the American Civil War, 1789-1859

Elizabeth R. Varon

Product Details
• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (October 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807832324
• ISBN-13: 978-0807832325

By James Durney

   For the definition of a word, we consult the dictionary and find the current acceptable definition of the word. Words can have much more than a definition. Words can have meaning and emotions that change with time and place. Disunion is a word with a definition that has not changed much in 200 years. However, the meaning, the emotions that disunion had are no longer available to us. These were unique to 19th Century Americans in the years leading up to the Civil War. Their reaction to the word disunion was much different and meaningful than ours. This book is a history of the meaning and emotions of one word during that time. The author has recreated the meaning and emotions of those times, giving us a real understanding of this highly charged word.
     This book shows how disunion was the code for a "sublimely adaptable concept" that had a wide usage in politics. Disunion was at the same time, a prophecy or a threat, or an accusation and a process. Politicians used all to these tools to force an agenda on their opponents. At the same time, social groups made use of these tools to push forward their causes. From 1789 to 1859, when secession becomes fact, disunion is often spoken or considered by both Northerners and Southerners. The author states she is a firm member of the Emancipation Tradition and declares her sympathies are with the Abolitionists. However, she never lets this keep her from telling all sides of the story. She never allows this to descend into attacks on The South or to keep her from telling the full story. Her even handed treatment results in an excellent history that is well balanced and fairly presents all sides.
     This can be a very revealing book to read. Consider the following:
    Abolitionists were the biggest users of the word. Garrison wanted disunion and wrote that it was best for the nation. Disunion petitions were common from people living in the Northern part of the nation.
     The South had considered disunion a number of times prior to 1860. Pro-Union Southerners had always defeated this idea. Lincoln's hope that war could be avoided is not such a forlorn hope after reading the history of these conventions.
    The history of the word "disunion" is a history of American from 1789 to 1859. The book covers each major political event and many minor ones at the right level of detail. We never get bogged down but we have the information needed to understand the causes and motivations involved. In addition, the reader gets a history of the Abolition Movement and race relations in the North and South. This is quite an amount of information for one book. The author's writing is for academia and can be somewhat difficult. I never found her boring and will state that any "work" involved in reading this book is going to pay dividends later.
     I recommend this book to all Civil War readers as an essential foundation to understanding why the war came and many of the decisions of 1860 to 1862. On a personal note; this is my 300th Amazon review. I am very happy to have such an outstanding book in that position!