The Disruption of American Democracy

This book records and interprets the history of the most dangerous crisis the Democratic party and the nation ever faced, in the period from 1856 to 1861. Charles A. Beard says of it, "This is a masterful job, a realistic description of men, issues, negotiations and events which constitute a fundamental contribution to American history. At one stroke it renders obsolete our previous works on the same period, such as Rhodes and McMaster. The narrative carries one along, as on a stream of campaign excitement.