With Malice toward Some

Treason and Loyalty in the Civil War Era

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), Military
Cover of the book With Malice toward Some by William A. Blair, 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: William A. Blair ISBN: 9781469614069
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: June 1, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: William A. Blair
ISBN: 9781469614069
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: June 1, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Few issues created greater consensus among Civil War-era northerners than the belief that the secessionists had committed treason. But as William A. Blair shows in this engaging history, the way politicians, soldiers, and civilians dealt with disloyalty varied widely. Citizens often moved more swiftly than federal agents in punishing traitors in their midst, forcing the government to rethink legal practices and definitions. In reconciling the northern contempt for treachery with a demonstrable record of judicial leniency toward the South, Blair illuminates the other ways that northerners punished perceived traitors, including confiscating slaves, arresting newspaper editors for expressions of free speech, and limiting voting. Ultimately, punishment for treason extended well beyond wartime and into the framework of Reconstruction policies, including the construction of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Establishing how treason was defined not just by the Lincoln administration, Congress, and the courts but also by the general public, Blair reveals the surprising implications for North and South alike.

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

Few issues created greater consensus among Civil War-era northerners than the belief that the secessionists had committed treason. But as William A. Blair shows in this engaging history, the way politicians, soldiers, and civilians dealt with disloyalty varied widely. Citizens often moved more swiftly than federal agents in punishing traitors in their midst, forcing the government to rethink legal practices and definitions. In reconciling the northern contempt for treachery with a demonstrable record of judicial leniency toward the South, Blair illuminates the other ways that northerners punished perceived traitors, including confiscating slaves, arresting newspaper editors for expressions of free speech, and limiting voting. Ultimately, punishment for treason extended well beyond wartime and into the framework of Reconstruction policies, including the construction of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Establishing how treason was defined not just by the Lincoln administration, Congress, and the courts but also by the general public, Blair reveals the surprising implications for North and South alike.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Strange History of the American Quadroon by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Our Daily Bread by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Channels of Discourse, Reassembled by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Field Guide to the Piedmont by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Fugitives, Smugglers, and Thieves by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Protestants in an Age of Science by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Frank Porter Graham and the 1950 Senate Race in North Carolina by William A. Blair
Cover of the book The End of Consensus by William A. Blair
Cover of the book The Soviet Model and Underdeveloped Countries by William A. Blair
Cover of the book The Marines of Montford Point by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee by William A. Blair
Cover of the book City in a Garden by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Making the World Safe for Democracy by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Brazil by William A. Blair
Cover of the book Jean Rhys's Historical Imagination by William A. Blair
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