Freedom's Crescent

Cambridge Studies on the American South

by John C. Rodrigue

The Lower Mississippi Valley is more than just a distinct geographical region of the United States; it was central to the outcome of the Civil War and the destruction of slavery in the American South. Beginning with Lincoln's 1860 presidential election and concluding with the final ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, Freedom's Crescent explores the four states of this region that seceded and joined the Confederacy: Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. By weaving into a coherent narrative the major military campaigns that enveloped the region, the daily disintegration of slavery in the countryside, and political developments across the four states and in Washington DC, John C. Rodrigue identifies the Lower Mississippi Valley as the epicenter of emancipation in the South. A sweeping examination of one of the war's most important theaters, this book highlights the integral role this region played in transforming United States history.

Genres: Civil War

534 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2022

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My modest reading about the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation has never included information or perspectives from the Lower Mississippi Valley – the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Therefore, I was enormously impressed when I read “Freedom’s Crescent” by John C. Rodrigue. This is a truly remarkable work that argued effectively that the emancipation of slaves went through four steps, and that it was necessary that the last step be taken for the enslaved people to really have the guarantees of freedom. The four steps were: (1) limited military emancipation which occurred when Northern forces liberated slaves in conquered territory; (2) universal military emancipation created by the Emancipation Proclamation; (3) state-level emancipation when three of those four states amended their state constitutions by 1865 to prohibit slavery; and (4) Federal emancipation effected by the Thirteenth Amendment.
This is a complex story, involving actions by each of the four states, the federal government, the military, individuals that pushed liberation and those that opposed it, and (not least) the enslaved people themselves. John C. Rodrigue effectively weaves these elements together to tell a compelling and complete narrative. I was not aware of the critical importance of the Thirteenth Amendment to the story of freedom, since there were significant forces in each of the four states that believed slavery could be reinstated. Rodrigue argues that the failure of Congress to pass reconstruction legislation simultaneously with the Thirteenth Amendment led to the tragedy of Andrew Johnson’s mismanagement of reconstruction.
The story told through the lens of the Lower Mississippi Valley was most illuminating and effective. I highly recommend this powerful and enlightening book.