"Violence was an American tradition," writes Allan Nevins at the beginning of this chronicle of the eve of the Civil War. From the insurrection led by John Brown in 1859 to the inauguration of Lincoln in 1861, Nevins chronicles dramatically the oncoming nadir of the Union. He illuminates the events of these tragic years, capturing the tensions reflected in the candidacies of three men in opposition to Lincoln in 1860. In doing so he adds greatly to our understanding of the bitter feelings that divided the nation.

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