A28: A House Divided, 1846-1861: The Background of the Civil War - 3 units
Gregory B. Taylor
Wed. 1:00–2:30 p.m. - Sept. 10, 17, 24, Oct. 1         
Westminster Canterbury - Limit: 75

Gregory Taylor is a retired attorney and Episcopal Priest, with degrees from Yale, Harvard Law School and Virginia Theological Seminary. He is also an avid amateur historian, with special interest in American political and religious history. He previously has taught a JILL course on Religion in America, 1607-2007.

The Civil War represents the tragic breakdown of the American political and constitutional system under the pressure of the controversy over slavery. Could it have been avoided? This course will examine the events leading up to the war and consider what lessons they may hold for contemporary American politics. Topics will include the annexation of Texas, the Mexican War, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, “Bleeding Kansas,” the Dred Scott decision, the rise of the Republican Party, the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the election of 1860.

Suggested Reading: David M. Potter, The Impending Crisis: 1848-1861,  (Harper & Row, 1976). Don E. Fehrenbacher, The Slaveholding Republic, (Oxford, 2001). Michael F. Holt, The Fate of Their Country, (Hill and Wang, 2004)