| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Category: History |
(requires Adobe Reader)
|
| About the Book | |
|
Union At All Costs: from Confederation to Consolidation, by John M. Taylor, traces the regional differences present from the beginning of the American experiment. This includes the social and economic structure of a predominantly agrarian society versus a society becoming increasingly industrialized. Areas of contention analyzed, include tariffs, banking, and slavery. A basic philosophical difference—the largely Hamiltonian North versus the predominantly Jeffersonian South—involved the relationship between the States and the federal government and the degree of power granted to the latter. All of these issues serve as a backdrop for the schism between North and South. When the Southern States seceded from what they contended was a voluntary government, there was much resistance in the North, especially from Lincoln and the Radical Republicans. They saw the departure of the Southern States as an economic disaster for the North. Though the South tried repeatedly to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Lincoln Administration, all of their efforts were thwarted. As events came to a head and actual war broke out, the Lincoln Administration often went to extreme lengths, with Lincoln's steady theme that the States never actually left the Union. This led to many draconian measures, such as suspension of habeas corpus rights, violations of free speech and free press, violation of international law, etc. Union At All Costs covers the major abuses of the constitution, including violations of the rights of many Northerners. The text includes multiple examples of Lincoln's political cunning—from the time he was elected in 1860 through his 1864 re-election and the end of the war. Lincoln's 1864 re-election assured the war would continue, as he had no desire for peace, only complete capitulation of the South. When overwhelming odds and attrition finally ended the war, the South was ripe for occupation, a program that was intensified after Lincoln's untimely death. Many of the tactics used during the war continued into the post-war era. Taylor questions whether the measures implemented were intended to save the Union or create a different Union as well as questioning exactly how the events had any positive impact on the South, e.g., was it a Just War, who benefited from the conflict, etc.? Post-war, as Jefferson Davis insisted the South had a legal and moral right to govern itself, there was a concerted effort in the North to sanitize and deify Lincoln, the point man for the corporate and banking interests in the North. Union At All Costs examines multiple sources of resistance to Lincoln in the North as well as his views of democracy and voluntary government. Also, Lincoln's alleged religion is examined. The book begins to wind down by acknowledging the agenda in the North for Lincoln's apotheosis, an effort led by many who despised him when he lived. As the book concludes, the link between Lincoln and the centralization of power is examined along with the results of the conflict that helped create the highly centralized government we witness today.
|
|
| Reviews | |
“It has taken the place of FAVORITE among my many other books on the War Between the States. A must read for students of the late unpleasantness.” “It brings into question many things about Abraham Lincoln and the causes/reasons for the war.” “If you want to understand what's wrong with our country today, and how it got this way, you need to read this book. This book should be required reading in every high school and college in America, just as the reading and DISUCSSION and UNDERSTANDING of the Declaration of Independence should be. If you read one book in your entire life, please read this book.” “Kudos to the author for remaining loyal to the facts of the matter! A more factual account has yet to be written.” "He presents facts and not opinions. For an informative book, this rates very high with me.” “Find out from original sources (meticulously referenced) what the war was really about...and learn something other than the cartoon version of Abraham Lincoln!” “One of if not the best recent book on real reasons for the War for Southern Independence.” “the War of Northern Aggression was about power and taxes, not slavery.” “Great book.” “Highly detailed and plenty of references to external sources.” “…John Taylor has so eloquently researched, written about, and fully documented in this long needed refutation of the 150+ year old historical propaganda that has passed for the reasons that over 600,000 American lives were unnecessarily lost in a war that should never have happened. Lincoln is here exposed as the supreme crooked politician that he was…This book should be required reading for every American history class in the country at both the high school and college level!” “Of the hundred plus books I own and/or have read on The War Between the States, this is in the top three…The tremendous amount of information presented is given in fairly short segments, which makes reading…an easy process. There is no pulpit-pounding here, just facts clearly presented and documented that have overlooked or suppressed by the histories written (and unfortunately taught in schools and colleges) by the victors. But this is no "Lost Cause" apologetic. A reader can readily understand why The War Between the State has also been dubbed "The Second American Revolution". “This book reveals ignored and often denied hard facts concerning the reasons for the Civil War, the conduct of the war and the aftermath of the war which the Lincoln Cult camouflaged for decades. Mr. Taylor's contribution to understanding this important era in American history is a significant contribution to understanding how and why America has evolved into its present governing and economic dilemmas…” “John M. Taylor wrote a brilliant book--a tome, in fact--about the real causes for Mr. Lincoln's War. Be warned in advance, however: this is not the standard establishment propaganda. Taylor treats Lincoln as if he were a man and a flawed one at that--not as a demi-God, as so many "historians" today do. This author does not worship at the altar of Lincoln. He is more interested in telling the truth. This book should be required reading in every high school in America.” “A concise account of events and issues that led to the south forming a new nation.”
|
|
| About the Author | |
 |
John M. Taylor, Assistant Director at Adelia M. Russell Library in Alexander City, Alabama, possesses over thirty years of experience in logistics. Combined with almost twenty years of experience as an editor and an intense interest in history, Taylor has written extensively on the South's past. |