Liberty, Virtue, and Progress: Northerners and Their War for the Union

by Earl J. Hess

Overview

Concentrating on ideology and cultural values, Liberty, Virtue, and Progress explores the motivations that casued Northerners to fight America's Civil War. Arguing for the primary significance of ideals and cultural values in defining a war, the book examines the opinions of both the Northern soldier and civilian about the meaning of the Civil War in terms of defining American nationalism, the character of the American people, and the future of free government. The book addresses the intellectual and social elites of Northern society, but gives a new emphasis to the opinions of the common man on the subject and ideology of the war. In addition to identifying and discussing the ideas and cultural values that played a role in motivation, Hess looks at how the experience of war (battlefield death and suffering) interacted with that ideology. Contrary to the commonly held belief that war is disruptive to pre-war ideals, Hess argues that Northern soldiers and civilians made a conscious effort to use ideology as a tool with which to retain their faith in ideas. Liberty, Virtue, and Progress is based on extensive research in both published and unpublished sources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823217984
Publisher:	Fordham University Press
Publication date:	01/01/1997
Series:	The North's Civil War
Edition description:	2
Pages:	154
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Earl J. Hess is Associate Professor and Director of the History program at Lincoln Memorial University.

Editorial Reviews

Earl Hessprovides a succinct, thought-provoking analysis of the largely neglected questions of why so many Northern citizens supported the Union war effort, and eventually even emancipation, despite the Civil War’s carnage. . . . This volume represents a valuable addition to the study of the Union war effort.

Civil War

Argues that ideology and culture were major motivations for the North in the Civil War, looking at values held by soldiers and civilians of the North, such as self-government, democracy, and individualism. Contends that while ideology changed little during the war, dramatic shifts in ideology occurred after the war, due to changes in society and the economy. This second edition contains a new introduction, in which the author sharpens his argument in light of studies that have appeared over the past nine years. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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