The American Civil War in Global Perspective

Catalog description

This course examines the era of the Civil War in American history (1848-1877) from a global perspective. By exploring the major issues and events of the era through transnational and comparative viewpoints, it encourages students to think about how America’s Civil War era fit into larger global trends of the time. Themes to be covered include transatlantic abolitionism; immigrants’ participation in the Civil War; diplomacy during the Civil War; the Civil War and Reconstruction as part of the international trend of modern nation building; comparison of post-emancipation societies; and the global memory of Abraham Lincoln.