2. 1861
Louis P. Masur
in The U.S. Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
“1861” describes the events of that year, which began with the appointment of Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederacy. Following the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter, Lincoln ...
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3. 1862
Louis P. Masur
in The U.S. Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
“1862” covers the conscription of Confederate soldiers and the emergence of Robert E. Lee, who assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee won many significant battles against ...
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4. 1863
Louis P. Masur
in The U.S. Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
“1863” begins with Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1 . Authorizing the enlistment of black soldiers, the proclamation helped change the Union’s fortunes and ...
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5. 1864
Louis P. Masur
in The U.S. Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
“1864” demonstrates that the Union defeats across Virginia in that year came at a politically precarious time for Abraham Lincoln, with rivals angling for the Republication presidential ...
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3. Achievements and challenges: The history the founding fathers made
R. B. Bernstein
in The Founding Fathers: A Very Short Introduction
For seven decades, the founding fathers played pivotal roles in creating an American nation and its constitutional system. “Achievements and challenges: The history the founding fathers ...
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8. 1945–1968: Affluence and social unrest
Paul S. Boyer
in American History: A Very Short Introduction
America in the immediate postwar period was a peculiar mix of material abundance and mass-culture distractions. Under the safety net of 1950s America, anti-communist paranoia and disquiet ...
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4. Africa in the world
John Parker and Richard Rathbone
in African History: A Very Short Introduction
How does the history of Africa's past fit into that of the rest of the world? Has Africa's history been determined by internal forces or by those from abroad? ‘Africa in the world’ looks at ...
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3. Africa’s past: historical sources
John Parker and Richard Rathbone
in African History: A Very Short Introduction
Historians of Africa face many of the same challenges as historians of other geographical areas. ‘Africa's past: historical sources’ shows how historians of Africa have been pioneers in the ...
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2. Africans: diversity and unity
John Parker and Richard Rathbone
in African History: A Very Short Introduction
Shifting perceptions of Africa, as well as scholarly debates about the meaning of those perceptions, are about the people. ‘Africans: diversity and unity’ considers the meaning of the term ...
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3. The age of the city, 1860–1900
Eric Avila
in American Cultural History: A Very Short Introduction
In the aftermath of the Civil War, Americans united in an impulse to commemorate the lives lost and to coordinate that effort with new campaigns for civic beautification. “The age of the ...
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2. Alienation: December 1865–March 1867
Allen C. Guelzo
in Reconstruction: A Very Short Introduction
The Radical Republicans arrived in Washington for the opening of Congress on December 4, 1865 with two major weapons in their hands: one was the party caucus and the other was the lopsided ...
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1. American culture in red, white, and black
Eric Avila
in American Cultural History: A Very Short Introduction
“American culture in red, white, and black” explains how diverse Americans planted the seeds of a new national culture during the colonial period, one that took shape through the ...
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3. Americans in the Depression
Eric Rauchway
in The Great Depression and New Deal: A Very Short Introduction
The Great Depression was, in its breadth, severity, and duration, without precedent in the history of the United States. ‘Americans in the Depression’ covers its effects on the people of ...
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6. 1865 and after the war
Louis P. Masur
in The U.S. Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
“1865 and after the war” begins with the Confederacy taking desperate measures to try and reverse its fortunes. In March, Lincoln delivered his second inaugural and in April, Robert E. Lee ...
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3. Arrogance: March 1867– May 1868
Allen C. Guelzo
in Reconstruction: A Very Short Introduction
For the survivors of the defeated Confederacy, the first issue was simple survival. The war had wrecked the Southern economy with total direct and indirect costs of the war for the South ...
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5. The arts on the silk road
James A. Millward
in The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction
‘The arts on the silk road’ provides a sample of shared Eurasian cultural and intellectual themes. Vernacular tales throughout Eurasia shared certain genres and styles, with some stories ...
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3. ‘As if the king of each’: 16th and 17th centuries
Martyn Rady
in The Habsburg Empire: A Very Short Introduction
Charles V did not try to unite his disparate realms, but ruled instead through the separate governments of his individual lands and kingdoms. The preferred method of 16th-century Habsburg ...
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5. Assimilation and allotment
Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green
in North American Indians: A Very Short Introduction
There were many contradictions in the way that the Native Americans were treated following European invasion, particularly in terms of the antithetical policies of separating Indians on ...
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4. Atzmaut and Nakba 1947–67
Martin Bunton
in The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction
New boundaries were mapped out for the splintered territory in 1947. As the situation developed into civil war, onlookers began to worry. ‘Atzmaut and Nakba 1947–67’ looks at the United ...
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3. Aztec expansion through conquest and trade
Davíd Carrasco
in The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction
‘Aztec expansion through conquest and trade’ examines the Codex Mendoza. The Codex Mendoza is a rare example of Spanish and Aztec cooperation, and tells the story of the Aztec people. ...
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