Antislavery Nation: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Battle for Freedom

The Russell P. Strange Memorial Book Award-winning narrative presents an original and compelling explanation for the triumph of the antislavery movement in the United States prior to the Civil War. The fate of the nation hinged on the massive political fault line surrounding the struggle to define slavery's relationship to freedom. From the country's inception, Americans had grappled with this complex issue, with most Northerners supporting abolition in the North but condoning slavery in the South, while most Southerners denounced abolition and asserted slavery's compatibility with whites' freedom.

Graham A. Peck meticulously traces the conflict over slavery in Illinois from the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 to Lincoln's defeat of his archrival Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 election. Douglas's attempt in 1854 to persuade Northerners that slavery and freedom had equal national standing stirred a political earthquake that brought Lincoln to the White House. However, Lincoln's framing of the antislavery movement as a conservative return to the country's founding principles masked what was, in fact, a radical and unprecedented antislavery nationalism. This justified slavery's destruction but ultimately triggered the Civil War.

The book presents pathbreaking interpretations of Lincoln, Douglas, and the Civil War's origins, revealing how battles over slavery paved the way for freedom's triumph in America. Abraham Lincoln's election as the first antislavery president was hardly preordained, as the country had long struggled to resolve the complex and contentious issue of slavery's relationship to the nation's founding principles of freedom and equality.

Peck's meticulous tracing of the conflict over slavery in Illinois provides a nuanced and insightful understanding of the political and ideological forces that led to Lincoln's victory and the eventual destruction of slavery. The author's analysis of Lincoln's framing of the antislavery movement as a conservative return to the country's founding principles is particularly compelling, as it reveals the radical and unprecedented nature of the antislavery nationalism that ultimately triumphed.

The book's pathbreaking interpretations of Lincoln, Douglas, and the Civil War's origins offer a fresh perspective on this pivotal moment in American history. By illuminating the complex and intertwined battles over slavery that paved the way for freedom's triumph, Peck's work contributes to a deeper understanding of the nation's ongoing struggle to reconcile its founding ideals with the reality of racial oppression and injustice.

Overall, the Russell P. Strange Memorial Book Award-winning narrative is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the antislavery movement, the Civil War, and the enduring legacy of slavery in America.

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