Author Archives: Rich & Tracy Y

Civil War Podcast, Episode 28

ESCALATING CRISIS

James Buchanan (1791-1868)

In which we head back north of the Mason-Dixon Line to see what was going on in Springfield, Illinois & Washington, D.C. during the steady escalation of the secession crisis.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter of 1860-1861 by Harold Holzer.

“This is a stunningly original work that casts completely new light on the most turbulent and critical presidential transition in American history. Holzer’s superb narrative skill, along with his abundant use of colorful details, creates an atmosphere of such immediacy that the reader feels transported back to ‘the Great Secession Winter’ as an eyewitness to Lincoln’s gifted leadership during this dramatic period. This groundbreaking book will take its place with the most valuable and indispensable works in the Lincoln canon.” ~ Doris Kearns Goodwin

Listen to Episode 28: EscalatingCrisis

Civil War Podcast, Episode 27

JEFFERSON DAVIS (Part the Second)

In which we continue the biographical sketch of Jefferson Davis’s life in order to bring him up to speed with where we are on the podcast timeline, the year 1861. We end this episode by taking a look at the formation of the Confederate cabinet.

Our book recommendation for this episode is The Confederate Nation: 1861-1865 by Emory M. Thomas.

“Drawing on his own research and the voluminous historical literature, Thomas has provided an original and readable narrative of the Confederate experience.” ~ Eric Foner

Listen to Episode 27: JeffersonDavisPartSecond

Civil War Podcast, Episode 26

JEFFERSON DAVIS (Part the First)

In which we use a special two-part biography of Jefferson Davis to bring his life up to speed with where we currently are on the podcast timeline, the year 1861.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Jefferson Davis, American by William J. Cooper, Jr.

“Jefferson Davis lived seventy-seven of his eighty-one years as an American, and only four as president of the Confederacy. Yet it is for those four years he is chiefly remembered. William J. Cooper’s splendid biography- the best yet- does good service in reminding us that even during his years at war with the United States, Davis professed to be fighting for American institutions and ideals as he understood them.” ~ James M. McPherson

Listen to Episode 26: JeffersonDavisPartFirst

Memorial Day 2013

We remember & honor those American men and women who have died in the service of their country.

Civil War Podcast, Bonus Episode

In which we take a look at some of the major differences between North & South on the eve of the Civil War.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Life in Civil War America by Michael O. Varhola.

Author and historian Michael Varhola takes you back in time to the Civil War, illuminating both the sweeping changes and cultural norms that shaped the everyday lives of soldiers and civilians during the conflict that divided the nation.

Listen to the Bonus Episode: http://civilwarpodcast.libsyn.com/the-civil-war-1861-1865-a-history-podcast

Civil War Podcast, Episode 25

In which we discuss the birth of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama in February 1861.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Look Away! A History of the Confederate States of America by William C. Davis.

“Behind the masks of the Confederate armies was a government and a home front far removed from the ‘moonlight and magnolia’ traditions too often presented. Davis has produced a pathbreaking work in every sense. Concentrating on political, social, and economic subjects, this book is so revealing that it will surely become a basic reference work in Civil War history.” ~ James I. Robertson, Jr, author of Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend

Listen to Episode 25: ConfederateStatesAmerica

Civil War Podcast, Episode 24

In which we continue our discussion of secession by asking if the southern states had a right to secede, or if secession was rebellion. Then, we look at the message the secession commissioners spread throughout the South in late 1860/early 1861.

Plus, there’s a special announcement at the end of this episode!

Our book recommendation for this episode is Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War by Charles B. Dew.

“This incisive history should dispel the pernicious notion that the Confederacy fought the Civil War to advance the constitutional principle of states’ rights and only coincidentally to preserve slavery.” ~ Allen D. Boyer, New York Times Book Review

Listen to Episode 24: RebellionSugarcoated

Civil War Podcast, Episode 23

In which we look at the fact that seven southern states withdrew from the Union between Abraham Lincoln’s election and his inaugural. We answer the question: What caused the secession of these states?

Our book recommendation for this episode is We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861 by William J. Cooper.

“Written from the perspectives of Americans who experienced the efforts to forestall disunion and war during the five months between November 1860 and April 1861… this book captures the drama and tensions of those perilous times. Especially noteworthy is Cooper’s treatment of William H. Seward, whose struggles to patch together a compromise form the main thread running through this important book.” ~ James M. McPherson

Listen to Episode 23: SecessionFever

Civil War Podcast, Episode 22

In which we discuss the reasons behind the collapse of the Democratic Party, the resulting four-way contest for the presidency, and Abraham Lincoln’s victory on Election Day, November 6, 1860.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election that Brought On the Civil War by Douglas R. Egerton.

“Well-informed, judicious, and lively political history. Douglas Egerton has a sharp eye for telling biographical details, and he deploys them to great analytical and narrative effect.” ~ Bruce Levine, author of Half Slave and Half Free

Listen to Episode 22: Election1860

Civil War Podcast, Episode 21

In which we take a look at the February, 1860 address that was the most important speech of Abraham Lincoln’s political life. The Cooper Union speech in New York City catapulted Abraham Lincoln to the White House.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made Abraham Lincoln President by Harold Holzer.

“Few people know more about Abraham Lincoln than Holzer. This fine new work focuses on a widely known but little studied address that Lincoln delivered in early 1860 in New York City… Surely no one will again overlook this masterful speech.” ~ Publishers Weekly

Listen to Episode 21: LincolnCooperUnion