Disunion: What Lincoln Meant to the Slaves

Disunion follows the Civil War as it unfolded.



The enormous excitement and anticipation of the 1860 presidential election campaign spread into unexpected corners of the United States. Indeed, during the months surrounding the contest, and especially after Americans learned of Abraham Lincoln’s victory, reports circulated across the Southern states of political attentiveness and restlessness among the slaves.
Southern newspapers noted the slaves’ attraction to “every political

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