The Fate of Liberty

preview-18
  • The Fate of Liberty Book Detail

  • Author : Mark E. Neely Jr.
  • Release Date : 1992-08-20
  • Publisher : Oxford University Press
  • Genre : History
  • Pages : 297
  • ISBN 13 : 0199923485
  • File Size : 59,59 MB

The Fate of Liberty by Mark E. Neely Jr. PDF Summary

Book Description: If Abraham Lincoln was known as the Great Emancipator, he was also the only president to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. Indeed, Lincoln's record on the Constitution and individual rights has fueled a century of debate, from charges that Democrats were singled out for harrassment to Gore Vidal's depiction of Lincoln as an "absolute dictator." Now, in the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Fate of Liberty, one of America's leading authorities on Lincoln wades straight into this controversy, showing just who was jailed and why, even as he explores the whole range of Lincoln's constitutional policies. Mark Neely depicts Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus as a well-intentioned attempt to deal with a floodtide of unforeseen events: the threat to Washington as Maryland flirted with secession, disintegrating public order in the border states, corruption among military contractors, the occupation of hostile Confederate territory, contraband trade with the South, and the outcry against the first draft in U.S. history. Drawing on letters from prisoners, records of military courts and federal prisons, memoirs, and federal archives, he paints a vivid picture of how Lincoln responded to these problems, how his policies were actually executed, and the virulent political debates that followed. Lincoln emerges from this account with this legendary statesmanship intact--mindful of political realities and prone to temper the sentences of military courts, concerned not with persecuting his opponents but with prosecuting the war efficiently. In addition, Neely explores the abuses of power under the regime of martial law: the routine torture of suspected deserters, widespread antisemitism among Union generals and officials, the common practice of seizing civilian hostages. He finds that though the system of military justice was flawed, it suffered less from merciless zeal, or political partisanship, than from inefficiency and the friction and complexities of modern war. Informed by a deep understanding of a unique period in American history, this incisive book takes a comprehensive look at the issues of civil liberties during Lincoln's administration, placing them firmly in the political context of the time. Written with keen insight and an intimate grasp of the original sources, The Fate of Liberty offers a vivid picture of the crises and chaos of a nation at war with itself, changing our understanding of this president and his most controversial policies.

Disclaimer: www.yourbookbest.com does not own The Fate of Liberty books pdf, neither created or scanned. We just provide the link that is already available on the internet, public domain and in Google Drive. If any way it violates the law or has any issues, then kindly mail us via contact us page to request the removal of the link.

The Fate of Liberty

The Fate of Liberty

File Size : 57,57 MB
Total View : 1087 Views
DOWNLOAD

If Abraham Lincoln was known as the Great Emancipator, he was also the only president to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. Indeed, Lincoln's record on the Cons

Southern Rights

Southern Rights

File Size : 70,70 MB
Total View : 5714 Views
DOWNLOAD

During the civil war that followed, not a day would pass when Confederate military prisons did not contain political prisoners."--BOOK JACKET.

The Civil War and the limits of destruction

The Civil War and the limits of destruction

File Size : 73,73 MB
Total View : 9404 Views
DOWNLOAD

The Civil War is often portrayed as the most brutal war in America's history, a premonition of twentieth-century slaughter and carnage. In challenging this view

The Lincoln Family Album

The Lincoln Family Album

File Size : 43,43 MB
Total View : 4797 Views
DOWNLOAD

This intimate collection of family photographs provides a rare glimpse into the personal life of one of the greatest figures in American history, Abraham Lincol

The Lincoln Image

The Lincoln Image

File Size : 3,3 MB
Total View : 5443 Views
DOWNLOAD

A fascinating examination of the relationship between Lincoln's image, the printmaker's craft, and the political culture that helped shape them both, "The Linco