William Van Zandt's Books

The Road to Disunion

Secessionists at Bay, 1776-1854: Volume I

By: William W. Freehling

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The Road to Disunion

Secessionists at Bay, 1776-1854: Volume I

By: William W. Freehling

Far from a monolithic block of diehard slave states, the South in the eight decades before the Civil War was, in William Freehling's words, "a world so lushly various as to be a storyteller's dream." It was a world where Deep South cotton planters clashed with South Carolina rice growers, where the egalitarian spirit sweeping the North seeped down through border states already uncertain about slavery, where even sections of the same state (for instance, coastal and mountain Virginia) divided bitterly on key issues. It was the world of Jefferson Davis, John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Jefferson, and also of Gullah Jack, Nat Turner, and Frederick Douglass. Now, in the first volume of his long awaited, monumental study of the South's road to disunion, historian William Freehling offers a sweeping political and social history of the antebellum South from 1776 to 1854. All the dramatic events leading to secession are here: the Missouri Compromise, the Nullification Controversy, the Gag Rule ("the Pearl Harbor of the slavery controversy"), the Annexation of Texas, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Freehling vividly recounts each crisis, illuminating complex issues and sketching colorful portraits of major figures. Along the way, he reveals the surprising extent to which slavery influenced national politics before 1850, and he provides important reinterpretations of American republicanism, Jeffersonian states' rights, Jacksonian democracy, and the causes of the American Civil War. But for all Freehling's brilliant insight into American antebellum politics, Secessionists at Bay is at bottom the saga of the rich social tapestry of the pre-war South. He takes us to old Charleston, Natchez, and Nashville, to the big house of a typical plantation, and we feel anew the tensions between the slaveowner and his family, the poor whites and the planters, the established South and the newer South, and especially between the slave and his master, "Cuffee" and "Massa." Freehling brings the Old South back to life in all its color, cruelty, and diversity. It is a memorable portrait, certain to be a key analysis of this crucial era in American history.

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Page Count

655

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199840326

ISBN 13

9780199840328

The Limits of Judicial Power

The Supreme Court in American Politics

By: William Lasser

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The Limits of Judicial Power

The Supreme Court in American Politics

By: William Lasser

Lasser examines in detail four periods during which the Court was widely charged with overstepping its constitutional power: the late 1850s, with the Dred Scott case and its aftermath; the Reconstruction era; the New Deal era; and the years of the Warren and Burger Courts after 1954. His thorough analysis of the most controversial decisions convincingly demonstrates that the Court has much more power to withstand political reprisal than is commonly assumed. Originally published in 1988. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

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Page Count

467

Publisher

UNC Press Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1469632462

ISBN 13

9781469632469

The Language of Conflict and Resolution

By: William F. Eadie

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The Language of Conflict and Resolution

By: William F. Eadie

Comprised of a series of lectures sponsored by the National Communication Association and the Smithsonian Associates in Washington DC, this book contains the research of leading communication scholars working on conflict theory and practice.

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Page Count

148

Publisher

SAGE

Published Date

ISBN 10

0761916601

ISBN 13

9780761916604

Historic Churches in Texas

Through the Lens Series, Volume II

By: ,William

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Historic Churches in Texas

Through the Lens Series, Volume II

By: ,William

Before independence from Mexico in 1836, the Catholic faith was the only religion settlers in Texas, known as Texians, could legally practice. To acquire land in Texas, then a part of Mexico known as Coahuila y Tejas, one had to be a member of the Roman Catholic Church or agree to convert to Catholicism. Although a few Protestant church buildings were erected before Texas's independence in 1836, most were erected after 1836 because of Mexico's strict laws prohibiting and often severe punishment for practicing any faith other than Catholicism. The few Protestant church buildings that were erected prior to Texas independence were usually erected along the margins of Texas in the more remote regions of North and East Texas, distancing themselves from Mexico's center of government in San Antonio. The first Protestant church established in Texas that has been in continuous service was organized by the Reverend Milton Estill in 1833 as the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Old Shiloh, a small community located about four miles north of Clarksville. In 1848, the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Congregation joined with the Presbyterian congregation in Clarksville to become the First Presbyterian Church, Clarksville. The First Presbyterian Congregation in Clarksville is recognized as the oldest Protestant church in continuous service in the state of Texas. After Texians won their independence in 1836, religious congregations began to meet openly and to build houses of worship. Most of these early church buildings were poorly built and did not survive the ravages of time. Eventually, stronger buildings were erected. But even then, with open fireplaces and wood-burning stoves providing heat and candles or kerosene lanterns providing the primary source of light, church buildings were often destroyed by accidental fires. In addition, with time, congregations often outgrew their vintage church buildings or could no longer afford the high cost of maintaining the older, outdated buildings. As a result, congregations abandoned them to erect larger and often more elaborate edifices. Once abandoned, the old church buildings were razed or, if left standing, rapidly deteriorated. Over the past twelve years, my wife and I have visited and photographed almost one thousand historic churches in Texas. Photographing these historic church buildings and learning about the pioneers that often at great risk founded and maintained them has been a project of love. Visiting these historic churches and meeting the people that maintain them today has been inspirational.

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Page Count

592

Publisher

Covenant Books, Inc.

Published Date

ISBN 10

1646705858

ISBN 13

9781646705856

Book's by William Van Zandt

The Road to Disunion

The Road to Disunion

The Limits of Judicial Power

The Limits of Judicial Power

The Language of Conflict and Resolution

The Language of Conflict and Resolution

Historic Churches in Texas

Historic Churches in Texas

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