1. The issue is to explore the scope of the war. It was more than a series of campaigns, there were political, social and economic dimensions to this conflict that changed American life in a variety of ways changed American lives. But first let us look at Gallagher’s issue — what is his central claim in his discussion in both Armies? What does reading McPherson add to the mix?
The question to think about – whose side was “God” on? There was a lot of God talk during the Civil War–both sides framed the conflict in terms of theological certitudes? What kind of issues do that raise for trying to understand the war?
What do you find striking, interesting, surprising? What is your first understanding of it?
Info to be written based on readings from The Confederate War, The Union War (Galllagher), This Mighty Scourge (McPherson)
2. We want to understand the scope of the conflict and the ideas that mattered to the people who were fighting so we can then understand in the later section of the study, how the politics of remembrance too shape. Beginning with Gallagher and his books about the Armies, why them???? why are they central to his analysis?
What do we learn about ideas/commitment from his analysis. If you are reading from the texts please identify key pages so everyone can pick up the thread.
3. What is Gallagher driving at when his discussion of one of the virtues is that he make Clausewitz’s observation that war is politics by other means. An army is just not a group of people in uniform–it is a particular intentional thing so ideas matter greatly in this conflict. A vision of Union — what was the countervailing vision? See the difference from McClellan and Lincoln –on the matter of how the Army of the Potomac should proceed.
What made Lincoln’s work especially dicey is the very notion of Union — how many, “Yes…..but” did he have to deal with it?
4. One of the issues that will surfaced with some frequency in our study–and one that is central to understanding the “idea of war”–is the American past and how it figured in the rhetoric of the times. The Revolutionary war settled one issue: The British had to go home. The colonists –at least enough of them–were no longer subjects–but citizens. But citizens of what–the Constitution settled that, beauty even here we can see the political thumb of slavery on the scales of things like representation, etc. So the questions lingered, who ruled at home? And that would heat up in the early 19th century as the country developed bathe issue of admitting new state be made the flash point. So the idea of the war will matter greatly and it will be washed with Christian symbolism to heighten to colors even more.
Needed: a short paragraph for each question. Each question will have it’s own answer.
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]