10 Big Questions of the American Civil War

By: Caroline Janney, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Caroline Janney

Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

In 10 Big Questions of the American Civil War, join noted author and Civil War historian Dr. Caroline E. Janney, a professor at the University of Virginia, for a pointed examination of some of the most intriguing, provocative, and enduring questions about the Civil War era. The aim of these 10 eye-opening lectures is to separate myth from memory. Students will learn...

• Why the Southern states actually seceded
• The reasons that soldiers on both sides of the conflict chose to fight
• How conscription of soldiers promoted the idea that the Civil War was a “rich man’s war”
• Why emancipation wasn’t defined by the Emancipation Proclamation but by a process that unfolded over years
• What social, political, and economic implications arose as the Civil War generation choose how to remember their experiences
• What various relief efforts, performed by women, existed on both sides of the war
• Whether the Battle of Gettysburg really turned the tide in favor of the Union

Dr. Janney will help you to sort through topics that still confound both scholars and students of the Civil War. What’s more, the author reveals the deep, intense, and sometimes violent nature of Civil War memory that still permeates throughout the United States of America.

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Very Relevant

this subject never grows old and this book covers most of the key guestions. that still fuel controversy

Excellent, Short

I thought I knew a lot about our Civil War, but these "10 Big Questions" are well worthy of the name. Janney's exploration of each of them was insightful and seemed balanced to me, making good use of recent scholarship. These questions are not just of historical interest. Americans, consciously or not, are likely to have opinions on all of them already. I know I did, and some of them had to change after Janney's series.

A myth buster of a book.

Janney's "The Great Courses" lecture (which sort of counts as an audiobook) is easily the best short overview of key questions and facts surrounding the Civil War. It'd be the one audiobook I'd recommend to folks who need to disabuse themselves of various myths surrounding the conflict.

Janney pokes holes into the "Lost Cause Myth" and its attendant fictions--such as the lie that war wasn't fought because of slavery, or that slaves on the plantation were a happy and contented lot (they weren't). She also explores the role of women during the war and after it.

Janney's lecture, as well as TGC's Civil War lecture by Gary Gallagher, are superb introductions to the Civil War, and may break new ground for fans of Civil War history.

A Great Approach to the Issues of the Civil War

I have read a lot of books on the American Civil War that trace the development of the war, often in excruciating detail, from beginning to end. Caroline Janney brought a refreshingly new perspective to discussing the war and in doing so made the subject matter extremely relevant to modern times. She does this by asking pressing questions that modern audiences raise about the war and then tracing their answers in enough detail to show their complexity while also being convincing. For example, Did Lincoln Free the Slaves? The answer, of course, is yes he did, but he didn’t do it in a vacuum totally by himself and Janney shows how he came to do so. The parts I found most interesting were those that involved why the war was fought and how we remember it. Humans being human, we have changed our thinking about these things as time went on. When the Civil War began, the South very much thought that it was about slavery, but after losing the war they edited their story in an attempt to make their cause seem more high minded and just. Similarly, at the start of the war Northerners did not the war to be about slavery and insisted it was about preserving the union, but after the war it was the emancipation of the slaves that they most focused upon, recognizing it to have been a noble outcome of the struggle. Overall, this is one of the best books I’ve read on the Civil War because of its focus on issues and Janney’s willingness to tie those issues to modern debates in our society.

beyond the facts, gaining understanding

there's a lot more going on than just the battles. Understanding what people think can help in the future. Difficult to understand just by looking at what happened, you have to understand why.

Why did we fight the Civil War?

Excellent. The focus is on what both sides were fighting for in the Civil War

Really well done work

Really good history of the Civil War. I think the Ten Questions format would still be accessible even if you don't have a great grounding in this era in American history -- the author fits the questions addressed into the larger historical framework. I found it enjoyable and informative.

AMAZING! Fantastic book, super recommended!!

A nice way to learn about the USA civil war in details chapter by chapter.

By golly, I learned somthing!

This course is one that anyone who thinks they know All About the Civil War. You will find that you don't. Study this course more than once and contemplate.

Professor Needs to Teach An Entire Civil War Course

This was an excellent 10-class course. It made me really think more clearly about many Civil War subjects. The professor should be approached about doing a complete course on the entire Civil War!