1. James McPherson is by training very much a top-down political and military historian, interested in the decisions of presidents & generals. But in Battle Cry of Freedom he also clearly recognizes that Civil War was bottom-up "people's war" -- makes for an interesting tension
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3. I think Lincoln understood this: "I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me." The war is a remarkable eruption of mass protests and politics on the field of history. Du Bois knew this as well.
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2. Was just thinking about how mad some lunkheads were at
@jbouie's "The slaves freed the slaves." But that's really a common sense version of the story if you have eyes to see.Show this thread
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