Civil War Congress and the Creation of Modern America: A Revolution on the Home Front (Perspective Hist of Congress 1801-1877)

"Most literature on the Civil War focuses on soldiers, battles, and politics. But for every soldier in the United States Army, there were nine civilians at home. The war affected those left on the home front in many ways. Westward expansion and land ownership increased. The draft disrupted families while a shortage of male workers created opportunities for women that were previously unknown. The war also enlarged the national government in ways unimagined before 1861. The Homestead Act, the Land Grant College Act, civil rights legislation, the use of paper currency, and creation of the Internal Revenue Service to collect taxes to pay for the war all illustrate how the war fundamentally, and permanently, changed the nation. The essays in this book, drawn from a wide range of historical expertise and approaching the topic from a variety of angles, explore the changes in life at home that led to a revolution in American society and set the stage for the making of modern America. Contributors: Jean H. Baker, Jenny Bourne, Paul Finkelman, Guy Gugliotta, Daniel W. Stowell, Peter Wallenstein, Jennifer L. Weber"-- Provided by publisher Introduction: The home front in the Civil War / Paul Finkelman -- Conscription and the consolidation of federal power during the Civil War / Jennifer L. Weber -- To slip the surly bonds of states' rights and form a more perfect (financial) union : one legacy of the Thirty-Seventh Congress / Jenny Bourne -- Abraham Lincoln and "government girls" in wartime Washington / Daniel W. Stowell -- The Morrill Land-Grant College Act of 1862 : seedbed of the American system of public universities / Peter Wallenstein -- Military conflict on the Minnesota homefront : Lincoln's humanitarian concerns, political pressures, and the Dakota pardons / Paul Finkelman -- Behind the scenes: Abraham Lincoln's life in the White House / Jean H. Baker -- A national icon comes of age / Guy Gugliotta Drawn from a wide range of historical expertise and approaching the topic from a variety of angles, these essays explore the changes in life at home during the Civil War that led to a revolution in American society and set the stage for the making of modern America.