A union indivisible : secession and the politics of slavery in the border states / Michael D. Robinson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Where is the great statesman?: Henry Clay's republic -- A representation of almost every interest and pursuit in the Union: the Border South on the eve of the secession crisis -- We are approaching a crisis pregnant with immense and momentous results: the long shadow of John Brown's raid, October 1859-April 1860 -- The wolf is really upon us now: the presidential race, April-November 1860 -- What ought patriots to do?: the Unionist offensive in the Border South, November 1860-mid-January 1861 -- Compromise may restore the Union, but the sword can never preserve it: the Unionist offensive, conditional unionism, and the vital center, mid-January-March 1861 -- If we can't go with the South let us quit the North: war, violence, and neutrality, March-June 1861 -- Every day's delay weakens the secessionists and strengthens the Union: secession defeated, June-December 1861 -- Conclusion: Pursued to the last extremity: Henry Winter Davis's republic.

"Michael Robinson challenges the previously held notions on the dichotomy between the free labor North and the slaveholding South. An examination of the Border South states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri--all of which ultimately elected to remain in the Union--reveals that this decision was contingent, contentious, and not nearly as straightforward as most scholarship has acknowledged. Robinson provides a more thorough examination of the secession crisis in these four Border South states, shedding light onto the border southerners' varied and often contradictory responses to the crisis of the Union"-- Provided by publisher

Print version record.

eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - Worldwide