The 1850s saw in America the breakdown of the Jacksonian party system in the North and the emergence of a new sectional party--the Republicans--that succeeded the Whigs in the nation's two-party system. This monumental work uses demographic, voting, and other statistical analysis as well as the more traditional methods and sources of political history to trace the realignment of American politics in the 1850s and the birth of the Republican party. Gienapp powerfully demonstrates that the organization of the Republican party was a difficult, complex, and lengthy process and explains why, even after an inauspicious beginning, it ultimately became a potent political force. The study also reveals the crucial role of ethnocultural factors in the collapse of the second party system and thoroughly analyzes the struggle between nativism and antislavery for political dominance in the North. The volume concludes with the decisive triumph of the Republican party over the rival American party in the 1856 presidential election. Far-reaching in scope yet detailed in analysis, this is the definitive work on the formation of the Republican party in antebellum America.

During the 1850s, the Jacksonian party system broke down in the North and a new sectional party, the Republicans, succeeded the Whigs in the nation's two party system. Using demographic, voting, and other statistical analysis,as well as the more traditional methods and sources of political history, William Gienapp powerfully demonstrates that the organization of the Republican party was a difficult, complex, and lengthy process, and explains why, even after an inauspicious beginning, it ultimately became a potent political force.

Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America is a short biography aimed at a general audience, but because of its short length, it will also be suitable for use on college courses in American history. The biography will concentrate on Lincoln's years as president, with particular emphasis upon his role in determining the course and outcome of the Civil War.