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The article analyzes and critiques revisionist historians that lay blame for the secession of U.S. southern states and the U.S. Civil War on U.S. president Abraham Lincoln and the antislavery element of the U.S. Republican Party. It discusses Lincoln's first inaugural address and the concept of separate state secession, public opinion concerning secession, and the constitutional questions regarding secession. It also discusses interpretations that portray Lincoln as unwillingness to compromise.

The article discusses the secession of the U.S. Southern States in 1861, focusing on the religious aspects and the characterization of the South as evil by Northerners. Other topics include the rationalization of war through reference to supernatural evil, the use of supernatural figures to add religious tones to political issues, and the depiction of the devil in visual media such as political cartoons.

The article discusses the role of former U.S. senator from New York and U.S. secretary of state nominee William Henry Seward during the secession crisis in the U.S. following the election of Abraham Lincoln as president of the U.S. in 1860 and prior to Lincoln's inauguration in 1861. It examines Seward's motivations and actions during the winter of 1860-1861, his position as Lincoln's proxy, and whether Seward acted on behalf of Lincoln or his own political ambitions. The article discusses Lincoln's erroneous belief that the Southern states would opt to remain in the union in spite differences on the issue of slavery and Republican Party efforts to save the union. The article also discusses Republican Party political boss Thurlow Weed.

The article presents a chronology of the events that led to the establishment of the state of West Virginia between 1861 and 1863. It describes how citizens in western Virginia mobilized in an effort to become an autonomous state following a decision by the Commonwealth of Virginia to secede from the U.S. in 1861, discusses the declaration of independence issued by separatists at the Second Wheeling Convention in the summer of 1861, and explores the role of lawyer Peter Gordon Van Winkle in the West Virginia Constitutional Convention. It also examines several topics which were debated at the West Virginia Constitution Convention including the state name, the electoral process and establishment of voting districts, and taxation for slaveholders.

The article discusses how the Malthusian population theory was applied to the national debate over the issue of limiting slavery prior to the U.S. Civil War. The projected impact the eventual demise of slavery would have on the public welfare is described as a volatile issue. It is argued that a simplified version of the theory posed by Thomas Malthus, which claimed natural population growth outstripped the food supply and led to war, famine, and plague, helped lead the South to secession. The views of abolitionists, free traders, protectionists, and proslavery advocates on the potential economic results of emancipation are compared on topics such as wages, labor supply, Western expansion, and population growth.

The article discusses the U.S. Civil War, examining the attitudes of Union soldiers who performed duties related to the occupation of the defeated Southern states throughout the war. The author explores the manner in which the experience of military occupation impacted the Union soldier's morale and motivation. The attitudes of soldiers who enlisted for patriotic reasons but, instead of experiencing traditional combat, were forced to do tedious occupation duty are analyzed. Also discussed is the lack of camaraderie found amongst the Union soldiers.

Focuses on United States General Robert E. Lee and his views on issues of race and politics. Defense of the secession of the South in 1861; Efforts of Southern white elite to control their section from threats by Afro-Americans; Andrew Johnson's support for white men; Lee's argument for the return to status quo except for the reinstitution of slavery; Antipathy for the notion of renegotiating race relations.

The article discusses the political and social atmosphere of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1860 and 1861 as residents anticipated the U.S. Civil War. It focuses upon the prospect of the secession of South Carolina from the United States, the battle of Fort Sumter, and public opinion concerning those issues and fears about the possible amount of bloodshed in a war.