The Election of 1860 Reconsidered

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments in the months surrounding the 150th anniversary of the election of 1860, scholars around the country gathered for conferences dedicated to analyzing this event. one such meeting was the third annual symposium of the civil war Study Group on September 17, 2010. hosted by the institute for the Study of war and Diplomacy at the University of indianapolis and funded by an eli lilly inQuery Grant, the symposium featured papers by four historians. More than twenty scholars offered their responses in the cordial discussions that followed each reading. those papers became the foundation for this book. charged with organizing the symposium and writing one of the papers, i saw the possibilities for something more and began to think about what a book-length reconsideration of the election of 1860 might include. i sought out other scholars who might be able to contribute . the result is a collection of essays, each of which stands on its own as an insightful study of the election. the authors themselves deserve my thanks. Jack McKivigan participated in the symposium and graciously agreed to include his superb essay on Frederick Douglass, which reinforces his well-deserved reputation as a leading historian of abolitionism. Doug Gardner allowed me to conscript him into service for the meeting and applied his wit, insight, and elegant writing style to the historical literature. he learned the duties of friendship the hard way by agreeing to write on a subject outside the scope of his own immediate interests. Mike Green did an old friend a favor and, as usual, wrote a fine piece of scholarship. His essay here demonstrates that his work on lincoln, the republicans, and the politics of the 1850s is authoritative xi xii · Acknowledgments and groundbreaking. Jim huston came on board and produced an excellent chapter on Stephen Douglas. his timely work and amiable attitude are models of professionalism, as is his essay. tom rodgers made such insightful comments at the symposium that i asked him to contribute to the book. he agreed to do so, although it was late in the process. working under the looming shadow of a rapidly approaching deadline, he wrote a first-rate essay that is a tremendous addition to this volume. larry Sondhaus was supportive of my ideas about the symposium and the book from the very beginning. when asked to contribute, he wrote about the european view of the election as only an accomplished and prolific scholar can. His exceptional chapter proves his dedication as a friend, a department chair, and a historian. Joyce harrison at Kent State University Press saw the value of this project and offered helpful guidance throughout the process. the series editor, lesley Gordon, supported my idea for this collection; her insightful criticisms made this a better book. the two readers for the press offered excellent suggestions and constructive criticism aimed at improving the volume. Krista Kinslow is always willing to proofread and ask questions that make me write more clearly. i greatly appreciate her help and encouragement while i wrote my essays and during the revision process. My late wife, Brenda, displayed great patience with my work during her losing struggle with ovarian cancer and i regret that she did not live to see this project appear in published form. i also wish to thank my son, carson, for sometimes managing, somehow, to contain his four-year-old enthusiasm while Daddy was trying to write and edit. i dedicate this book to the little band of scholars who make up the civil war Study Group, founded in 2008 by Stephen e. towne. their friendly encouragement and willing participation have created an intellectual community that inspires each of us to undertake new projects in the field about which we all are so passionate. a. James Fuller indianapolis, indiana Fall 2012 ...