The Coming of the Civil War

by Avery Odelle Craven

"In recent years a highly industrious school of historians has begun asking whether the war should have been fought at all and whether it was perhaps not more the fault of the North than of the South. Seeking to revise earlier judgments they have become known as the revisionists, and one of the most gifted and studious of them all is Avery Craven, whose The Coming of the Civil War . . . is one of the landmarks of revisionist literature."—Bruce Catton, American Heritage

". . . those who would examine the democratic process during a period of progressive breakdown, in order to understand the dangers it embodies within itself, will find The Coming of the Civil War a classic analysis."—Louis D. Rubin, Jr., Sewanee Review

"The book has always been recognized, even by its most severe critics, as a work of consummate scholarship."—T. Harry Williams, Baton Rouge Morning Advocate

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, American, American History, American Civil War

499 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Avery O. Craven earned his B.A. from Simpson College in 1908, his M.A. from Harvard University in 1914, and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1923. Craven taught at Simpson College, Michigan State University, and the University of Illinois before joining the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1927. He served as president of the Organization of Southern Historians in 1952, as president of the Mississippi Valley Historical Society and of the Organization of American Historians in 1963–1964.

Reviews

[Isidore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craven's influential book on the antebellum era came out in 1942. It was an early attempt to combine sound scholarship with a rejection of the pro-Republican partisanship which dominated American historiography. Today, it seems to me that various later writers have done a better job of elucidating the complex political turmoil of the period (Potter's The Impending Crisis comes to mind). But Craven still fascinates with a detailed account of the sectionalist propaganda war, carried on notably by Horace Greeley's New York Tribune, which helped silence rational debate and thwart the prevailing desire for peace. "Fake news", indeed!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craven's dissertation on the decades leading up to Fort Sumter is essential for those wishing to understand the War Between the States beyond the conventional tropes of "freeing the slaves" or "saving the Union."

[A.J. Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago because I saw so many similarities between the political situation in the USA today and that which existed in the USA prior to the Civil War. The book is very informative. I discovered there are more similarities than those I had already taken notice of. We find ourselves in a sad political predicament today in the USA. When we don't learn from the mistakes of our past we only make them again. Living near Gettysburg is a constant reminder to me of what can happen when Americans stop reasoning with one another, will no longer tolerate one another, and refuse to accept political compromises. Politics becomes a power struggle, and the group with the most power wins. War is what happens when politics break down. And the breakdown of politics is what we are witnessing in the USA today. As this books tells us, the breakdown of politics in the USA has happened before.

[JW · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written account of the war’s origins. Craven emphasizes economic factors without neglecting the social factors involved. He shows how the moral issue of slavery, important to some, was useful to many more as a tool for political and economic advancement.
This is an older account, having been originally published in 1942. Thus, it predates the currently dominant “neo-abolitionist” interpretation.

[Chris McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written examination of the background to the Civil War. Craven does not shy away from the historical complexity of the sectional crises between roughly 1830 and 1860. His theme is that the War was not necessary, but the outcome of sectional misunderstandings, divisions, differing economic interests and stupid stubbornness on the part of radicals, abolitionist and fire-eater alike.
A tale of tragedy.

[Gregory Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a challenging read. While the chapters are laid out in a chronological order, within a given chapter, the author is constantly jumping forward and backward. As a result, it requires a great deal of focus to capture the content. It does contain a lot of history I hadn't read elsewhere, but at the same time is leaves out large blocks that I've read elsewhere. It does end on a flat not which i found unsatisfying.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Craven does a great job of getting to the heart of a complex topic. However, I found it a little difficult to read. For those that haven't read widely on the Civil War, perhaps it would be better to start with McPherson.

[Swantje · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read book that explains how the Civil War came about. There are many reasons, but most of them are connected to the pro slavery vs. anti slavery issue.