Underground Railroad

Kate Clifford Larson discusses myths surrounding Harriet Tubman's life.
(Tab 2) Fergus Bordewich discusses the religious roots of the Underground Railroad.

Dred Scott Case

Lea VanderVelde discusses the variety and distribution of "freedom suits."
(Tab 2) Steven Hahn discusses the effect of the Dred Scott decision on the politics in the antebellum United States.

Emancipation

Robert F. Engs explains how "American" black slaves had become by the eve of widespread emancipation in 1865.

Civil War

Mark Neely explains the roots of the term "total war," and its mistaken application to the American Civil War.

Two-Party System

Mark Neely explains the effect of the two-party system and the U.S. Constitution on Union strategy in the Civil War.

Civil Liberties

Mark Neely evaluates the justification of the curtailment of civil liberties during Lincoln's term in office.

EMANCIPATION

Engs

Robert Engs has been at the University of Pennsylvania History Department since 1972. He has written numerous books on southern and African-American history and has most recently co-edited a volume on the early history of the Republican Party entitled, The Rise of the Grand Old Party. Engs has also spearheaded the creation of an innovative web archive called "The Crisis of the Union Archives."