Calculating the Value of the Union

Slavery, Property Rights, and the Economic Origins of the Civil War

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Economic Policy, Business & Finance, Economics, Economic History, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
Cover of the book Calculating the Value of the Union by James L. Huston, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James L. Huston ISBN: 9780807861684
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: July 21, 2004
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: James L. Huston
ISBN: 9780807861684
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: July 21, 2004
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

While slavery is often at the heart of debates over the causes of the Civil War, historians are not agreed on precisely what aspect of slavery--with its various social, economic, political, cultural, and moral ramifications--gave rise to the sectional rift. In Calculating the Value of the Union, James Huston integrates economic, social, and political history to argue that the issue of property rights as it pertained to slavery was at the center of the Civil War.

In the early years of the nineteenth century, southern slaveholders sought a national definition of property rights that would recognize and protect their ownership of slaves. Northern interests, on the other hand, opposed any national interpretation of property rights because of the threat slavery posed to the northern free labor market, particularly if allowed to spread to western territories. This impasse sparked a process of political realignment that culminated in the creation of the Republican Party, ultimately leading to the secession crisis.

Deeply researched and carefully written, this study rebuts recent trends in antebellum historiography and persuasively argues for a fundamentally economic interpretation of the slavery issue and the coming of the Civil War.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

While slavery is often at the heart of debates over the causes of the Civil War, historians are not agreed on precisely what aspect of slavery--with its various social, economic, political, cultural, and moral ramifications--gave rise to the sectional rift. In Calculating the Value of the Union, James Huston integrates economic, social, and political history to argue that the issue of property rights as it pertained to slavery was at the center of the Civil War.

In the early years of the nineteenth century, southern slaveholders sought a national definition of property rights that would recognize and protect their ownership of slaves. Northern interests, on the other hand, opposed any national interpretation of property rights because of the threat slavery posed to the northern free labor market, particularly if allowed to spread to western territories. This impasse sparked a process of political realignment that culminated in the creation of the Republican Party, ultimately leading to the secession crisis.

Deeply researched and carefully written, this study rebuts recent trends in antebellum historiography and persuasively argues for a fundamentally economic interpretation of the slavery issue and the coming of the Civil War.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Prostitution, Modernity, and the Making of the Cuban Republic, 1840-1920 by James L. Huston
Cover of the book A Nation for All by James L. Huston
Cover of the book My Desire for History by James L. Huston
Cover of the book American Growth and the Balance of Payments, 1820-1913 by James L. Huston
Cover of the book James Madison by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Healing at the Borderland of Medicine and Religion by James L. Huston
Cover of the book The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Racial Discrimination and Private Education by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Learn to Cook 25 Southern Classics 3 Ways by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Feeding a Hungry Planet by James L. Huston
Cover of the book American Legal Realism and Empirical Social Science by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Cornwallis by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Crossroads at Clarksdale by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Infectious Fear by James L. Huston
Cover of the book The Weight of Their Votes by James L. Huston
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy