Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War
By Charles B. Dew
Why this book?
In Apostles of Disunion, Confederates explain secession in their own words. Immediately after the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860, seven states seceded from the Union, but several other states elected not to, at least not yet. Among those states were Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, states that would be vital to the viability of a Confederate nation. Agents from the states that had seceded traveled to pivotal swing states to make the case for secession. The agents were called secession commissioners, and Apostles of Disunion gathers together exactly what they said. It is a book of white Southerners talking to white Southerners about the reasons for secession and for a new Confederate nation. . . reasons that ultimately proved compelling enough for Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia to join the Confederate States. This book is by far the best one-stop-shop for answering the question Why?
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