TY - GEN T1 - The stormy present : conservatism and the problem of slavery in Northern politics, 1846-1865 T2 - Civil War America (Series) A1 - Smith, Adam I. P. LA - English PP - Chapel Hill PB - University of North Carolina Press YR - 2017 UL - https://ebooks.jgu.edu.in/Record/jstor_dda_on1005663946 AB - "In this engaging and nuanced political history of Northern communities in the Civil War era, Adam I. P. Smith offers a new interpretation of the familiar story of the path to war and ultimate victory. Smith looks beyond the political divisions between abolitionist Republicans and Copperhead Democrats to consider the everyday conservatism that characterized the majority of Northern voters. A sense of ongoing crisis in these Northern states created anxiety and instability, which manifested in a range of social and political tensions in individual communities. In the face of such realities, Smith argues that a conservative impulse was more than just a historical or nostalgic tendency; it was fundamental to charting a path to the future. At stake for Northerners was their conception of the Union as the vanguard in a global struggle between democracy and despotism, and their ability to navigate their freedoms through the stormy waters of modernity. As a result, the language of conservatism was peculiarly, and revealingly, prominent in Northern politics during these years. The story this book tells is of conservative people coming, in the end, to accept radical change." -- Publisher's description. CN - F106 .S598 2017eb SN - 9781469633909 SN - 1469633906 SN - 9781469633916 SN - 1469633914 SN - 9781469633893 SN - 1469633892 KW - Northeastern States : Politics and government : 19th century. KW - Conservatism : Northeastern States : History : 19th century. KW - Slavery : United States. KW - United States : History : Civil War, 1861-1865 : Causes. KW - Conservatisme : États-Unis (Nord-Est) : Histoire : 19e siècle. KW - Esclavage : États-Unis. KW - HISTORY : United States : State & Local : General. KW - HISTORY : United States : Civil War Period (1850-1877) KW - Conservatism KW - Politics and government KW - Slavery KW - War : Causes KW - Northeastern States KW - United States KW - 1800-1899 KW - History ER -