American Civil Wars

A truly North American history of the defining political crises of the nineteenth century. . . . A must-read for all Civil War aficionados.--Manisha Sinha, author of The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920 Given the momentous events and delicious cast of characters, as well as the two-time Pulitzer winner's masterful storytelling skills, it's no surprise that the book is nearly impossible to put down.-- ""Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"" Taylor is a formidable historian and masterly writer. He briskly disposes of some persistent myths about the Civil War, ...[and] as for anyone who believes that the current turbulence on the U.S.-Mexican border is an anomaly, they will be edified by Taylor's account of how Texans attacked Mexico for offering freedom to runaway slaves.--Thomas E. Ricks ""New York Times Book Review"" Taylor...offers compelling new insights.... [His] transnational approach reveals the often unnoticed connections between America's war over slavery's future and the concurrent battles for individual rights in Mexico and Canada.--Amanda Brickell Bellows ""Wall Street Journal"" Taylor's core argument is a compelling, and ultimately convincing, one.... [I]n his book's greatest strength, Taylor doesn't simply rehash the stories of these neighboring nations, but stitches them to the American saga. Indeed...it is the interplay of these jostling forces within Mexico, the United States, and Canada that truly makes the era, and his book, a continental swirl.--Casey Michel ""The Bulwark"" This penetrating study is a must for Civil War history buffs.-- ""Publishers Weekly"" With his trademark erudition, Alan Taylor illuminates the great conflicts that rocked Canada, Mexico, and the United States. He shows how these foundational national struggles, while unique, arose from similar tensions over state and national power and ended in greater federal authority.--Andrés Reséndez, author of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America American Civil Wars demonstrates, as no previous work has, the great political transformations sweeping all of North America during the middle of the nineteenth century. With a geographical frame embracing Canada and Mexico as well as the United States, Alan Taylor once again challenges and deepens our historical perspective.--Steven Hahn, author of Illiberal America: A History From its first map showing the United States of America and the Confederate States of America bordered not only by each other but also by the Republic of Mexico, British Canada, and Indian Territory, American Civil Wars shifts our perspective to reveal the US Civil War in the context that everyone at the time understood to involve multiple sovereignties in North America debating and fighting over territory, slavery, sovereignty, and democracy. This is a gripping and deeply important addition to the magisterial Alan Taylor collection.--Kathleen DuVal, author of Native Nations: A Millennium in North America