Book Review of Apostles of Disunion
Maya Austell
January 31, 2012
Book review
Apostles of Disunion
The way Charles B. Dew opened up this book was touching and smart. He and I share the same qualities in thinking about issues by looking at things from both sides, and in ways that haven’t been discussed or thought about. He was a born and raised southerner, and told of his up bringing in the south. His ancestors fought and died for the Confederacy. Although it may seem that he should be a die-hard supporter of the Confederate, he openly looked at this issue at hand and dissected the facts. He also had actual documents, speeches, and writings that supported his these views. He said “I believe deeply that the story these documents tell is one that all of us, northerners and southerners, black and white, need to confront as we try to understand our past and move toward a future in which a fuller commitment to decency and racial justice will be part of our shared experience.” (pg.3) People, who think that the South broke away from the Union in the late 1860s because of slavery, should read this book. The reason is, Dew gives a dark and factual view of how much racist fears and slavery propaganda in leading up to the secession of the South’s states by speeches and writings of the secessionist commissioners appointed by South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. This opened my mind as to why, how, and what caused the secession? I think what drove the secession is clear racism, and the critical belief of the commissioners had on slavery. They said Lincoln's election was "nothing less than an open declaration of war." Dew believed that if slavery did not exist, we would have never had the civil war. We can look at bigger picture, which is, this war was a great loss for everyone, both Confederate and Union. Charles Dew took a different approach to the reason of the why the secession happened. He chronologically outlines the secession crisis. These commissioners were not
January 31, 2012
Book review
Apostles of Disunion
The way Charles B. Dew opened up this book was touching and smart. He and I share the same qualities in thinking about issues by looking at things from both sides, and in ways that haven’t been discussed or thought about. He was a born and raised southerner, and told of his up bringing in the south. His ancestors fought and died for the Confederacy. Although it may seem that he should be a die-hard supporter of the Confederate, he openly looked at this issue at hand and dissected the facts. He also had actual documents, speeches, and writings that supported his these views. He said “I believe deeply that the story these documents tell is one that all of us, northerners and southerners, black and white, need to confront as we try to understand our past and move toward a future in which a fuller commitment to decency and racial justice will be part of our shared experience.” (pg.3) People, who think that the South broke away from the Union in the late 1860s because of slavery, should read this book. The reason is, Dew gives a dark and factual view of how much racist fears and slavery propaganda in leading up to the secession of the South’s states by speeches and writings of the secessionist commissioners appointed by South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. This opened my mind as to why, how, and what caused the secession? I think what drove the secession is clear racism, and the critical belief of the commissioners had on slavery. They said Lincoln's election was "nothing less than an open declaration of war." Dew believed that if slavery did not exist, we would have never had the civil war. We can look at bigger picture, which is, this war was a great loss for everyone, both Confederate and Union. Charles Dew took a different approach to the reason of the why the secession happened. He chronologically outlines the secession crisis. These commissioners were not