During his first inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln expressed hope that the "better angels of our nature" would prevail as war loomed. He was wrong. The better angels did not, but for many Americans, the evil ones did. War Is All Hell peers into the world of devils, demons, Satan, and hell during the era of the American Civil War. It charts how African Americans and abolitionists compared slavery to hell, how Unionists rendered Confederate secession illegal by linking it to Satan, and how many Civil War soldiers came to understand themselves as living in hellish circumstances. War Is All Hell also examines how many Americans used evil to advance their own agendas. Sometimes literally, oftentimes figuratively, the agents of hell and hell itself became central means for many Americans to understand themselves and those around them, to legitimate their viewpoints and actions, and to challenge those of others. Many who opposed emancipation did so by casting Abraham Lincoln as the devil incarnate. Those who wished to pursue harsher war measures encouraged their soldiers to "fight like devils." And finally, after the war, when white men desired to stop genuine justice, they terrorized African Americans by dressing up as demons. A combination of religious, political, cultural, and military history, War Is All Hell illuminates why, after the war, one of its leading generals described it as "all hell."

This book covers topics from Cherokee chiefs to womanless weddings. The follow-up to the critically acclaimed collection ""Southern Manhood: Perspectives on Masculinity in the Old South"" (Georgia, 2004), ""Southern Masculinity"" explores the contours of southern male identity from Reconstruction to the present. Twelve case studies document the changing definitions of southern masculine identity as understood in conjunction with identities based on race, gender, age, sexuality, and geography.After the Civil War, southern men crafted notions of manhood in opposition to northern ideals of masculinity and as counterpoint to southern womanhood. At the same time, manliness in the South - as understood by individuals and within communities - retained and transformed antebellum conceptions of honor and mastery. This collection examines masculinity with respect to Reconstruction, the New South, racism, southern womanhood, the Sunbelt, gay rights, and the rise of the Christian Right. Familiar figures such as Arthur Ashe are investigated from fresh angles, while other essays plumb new areas such as the womanless wedding and Cherokee masculinity.

This book covers topics from Cherokee chiefs to womanless weddings. The follow-up to the critically acclaimed collection ""Southern Manhood: Perspectives on Masculinity in the Old South"" (Georgia, 2004), ""Southern Masculinity"" explores the contours of southern male identity from Reconstruction to the present. Twelve case studies document the changing definitions of southern masculine identity as understood in conjunction with identities based on race, gender, age, sexuality, and geography.After the Civil War, southern men crafted notions of manhood in opposition to northern ideals of masculinity and as counterpoint to southern womanhood. At the same time, manliness in the South - as understood by individuals and within communities - retained and transformed antebellum conceptions of honor and mastery. This collection examines masculinity with respect to Reconstruction, the New South, racism, southern womanhood, the Sunbelt, gay rights, and the rise of the Christian Right. Familiar figures such as Arthur Ashe are investigated from fresh angles, while other essays plumb new areas such as the womanless wedding and Cherokee masculinity.

During Reconstruction, former abolitionists in the North had a golden opportunity to pursue true racial justice and permanent reform in America. But after the sacrifice made by thousands of Union soldiers to arrive at this juncture, the moment soon slipped away, leaving many whites throughout the North and South more racist than before. Edward J. Blum takes a fresh look at the reasons for this failure in Reforging the White Republic, focusing on the vital role that religion played in reunifying northern and southern whites into a racially segregated society. A blend of history and social science, Reforging the White Republic offers a surprising perspective on the forces of religion as well as nationalism and imperialism at a critical point in American history.

This title presents new evaluations on the significance of Du Bois. ""The Souls of W. E. B. Du Bois"" is a collection of articles that treat Du Bois on the subject of religion by reintroducing his life and work to an audience that may be familiar with his work generally but may never have seen analyses of his study of religion. Because the project includes articles that examine both Du Bois' personal religious life along with his examination of religion, the editors seek to add not only to our knowledge of Du Bois' scholarly contributions but also hope to shed light on his personal life and religiosity. Also, in treating the biography and career of a thinker whose work covers much of the twentieth century, the editors intend this work to address larger issues related to religion in the United States over the course of the century. Just as Du Bois' foresight predicted a century marred by racial violence, so his varied explorations into the role of religion in the modern world anticipated the rise of contemporary tensions borne of the global circulation of corporate capital and commerce, of religious fundamentalism and evangelical theology. Indeed, Du Bois identified the critical paradox and presumed contradiction between America's religious legacy built on morality, justice, and equality with the country's impending devotion to progress, modernity, and money. Throughout his life and writing, Du Bois explored the special tensions that erupted in a nation bowing before two gods. Unfortunately, scholarly treatment of both Du Bois' critical writings on religion as well as his own personal religious development has been relatively lacking. The soulful side of the man whose most-famous work was about the souls of black folk, in short, has been largely neglected.