Books by Adam I. P. Smith

In this engaging and nuanced political history of Northern communities in the Civil War era, Adam I.P. Smith offers a new interpretation of the familiar story of the path to war and ultimate victory. Smith looks beyond the political divisions between abolitionist Republicans and Copperhead Democrats to consider the everyday conservatism that characterized the majority of Northern voters.

Why has "America" - that is, the United States of America - become so much more than simply a place in the imagination of so many people around the world?

This new interpretation of the causes, course and consequences of America's greatest crisis explores the complex relationships between the local and national contexts, between the experiences of soldiers and civilians, and shows how politics and public opinion decisively shaped the meaning and outcome of the war.