Category Archives: secession

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