America Aflame
How the Civil War Created a Nation
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America Aflame
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Narrated by:
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David Drummond
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By:
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David Goldfield
About this listen
In this spellbinding new history, David Goldfield offers the first major new interpretation of the Civil War era since James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. Where past scholars have interpreted the war as a triumph of freedom, Goldfield sees it as America's greatest failure: the result of a breakdown caused by the infusion of evangelical religion into the public sphere. As the Second Great Awakening surged through America, political questions became matters of good and evil to be fought to the death. The price of that failure was horrific, but the carnage accomplished what statesmen could not: it made the United States one nation and eliminated slavery as a divisive force in the Union. The victorious North became synonymous with America as a land of innovation and industrialization, whose teeming cities offered squalor and opportunity in equal measure. Religion was supplanted by science and a gospel of progress, and the South was left behind. Goldfield's panoramic narrative, sweeping from the 1840s to the end of Reconstruction, is studded with memorable details and luminaries such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman. There are lesser known yet equally compelling characters, too, including Carl Schurz---a German immigrant, war hero, and post-war reformer---and Alexander Stephens, the urbane and intellectual vice president of the Confederacy. America Aflame is a vivid portrait of the "fiery trial" that transformed the country we live in.
©2011 David Goldfield (P)2011 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about America Aflame
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Spruce 40
- 22-07-15
Impressive.
Would you consider the audio edition of America Aflame to be better than the print version?
Both excellent.
What other book might you compare America Aflame to, and why?
Can't compare it to another. One of the best books I have listened to.
What does David Drummond bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Allows you to enter more into the seperate scenes of history.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
I would use the title itself.
Any additional comments?
A detailed and informative read.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Elisabeth
- 07-07-14
Slow start but keep going!
Would you listen to America Aflame again? Why?
I have listened to America Aflame twice as it is an interesting take on that period of time. I did struggle with roughly the first two hours as it takes the author a while to get going. I appreciate that maybe the information is new to people but I felt it a bit dull.
What was one of the most memorable moments of America Aflame?
The story of how Harriet B Stowe came to write Uncle Tom's Cabin was new to me and heartfelt.
What does David Drummond bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Narrator was engaging and would listen to a book read by him again.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The Stowe family's heartache and then the scandals of the post- war Beecher preachers was very interesting.
Any additional comments?
The book is a slow start but very interesting and the use of personal stories to highlight the nation's struggle was very engaging.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 20-06-11
4 star battle narrative, 3 star history
This book is divided into roughly three equal sections, dealing with the causes of the civil war, the course of the war and finally it's aftermath. The best section is the course of the war and I would give this 4 stars. My problem is with the other two sections. Firstly the author quotes extensively from first hand accounts, which is not to my taste. The narrative tends to drift as a range of historical characters are used to reflect the proceedings. Some of the stories are good but unless you have a good grasp of American history of this period you may lose the threads of the main arguments.
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1 person found this helpful