More than one hundred and fifty years after the Civil War began, its hold on the American imagination has not abated. This Very Short Introduction offers a concise history of the era and serves as a necessary introduction to dramatic events that fundamentally reshaped the nation.

More than one hundred and fifty years after the Civil War began, its hold on the American imagination has not abated. This Very Short Introduction offers a concise history of the era and serves as a necessary introduction to dramatic events that fundamentally reshaped the nation.