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Story Bibliography
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Abraham Lincoln and the Politics of the Civil War Bibliography
Further Reading

Birkner, Michael J., ed.. James Buchanan and the Political Crisis of the 1850s. Selinsgrove, PA: Susquehanna University Press, 1996.

An important modern collection of essays on Buchanan, this volume includes an excellent overview of the controversial president's life and career.

Donald, David Herbert. Lincoln. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995.

This well-researched and well-written effort is the best out of the many biographies available on Abraham Lincoln.

Foner, Eric. Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Man: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970.

An important scholarly study, Foner's book explains the ideas of men like David Wilmot and Galusha Grow.

Forney, John W. Anecdotes of Famous Men. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1873-1881.

Although not well known today, Forney was one of the most influential figures of the Civil War era. Available from the Making of America site, hosted by the University of Michigan [permanent link: http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/b/bib/bibperm?q1=aan8043]

Gienapp, Wililam E. The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852-1856. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.

This detailed study does an excellent job of describing how the Republican Party came together in slightly different ways in each state across the North.

Hoch, Bradley, R. The Lincoln Trail in Pennsylvania: A History and Guide. University Park, PA: Penn State Press, 2001.

This is an interesting, carefully researched book, full of great photographs.

Klein, Philip Shriver. President James Buchanan: A Biography. University Park, PA: Penn State Press, 1962.

Klein wrote the definitive biography of Buchanan, a readable and insightful portrait of the embattled president.

Trefousse, Hans L. Thaddeus Stevens: Nineteenth Century Egalitarian. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.

Stevens was a legendary figure in the Civil War era, loved by some and hated by others. Trefousse does a good job of achieving a balance in this lively portrait.

Trussell, John B. B. "The First Battle of Harrisburg.." Pennsylvania Heritage:17 ((1991)): 32-37.

Trussell recounts a great story about the problems that Pennsylvanians faced in mobilizing troops at the outset of the Civil War.

Wills, Garry. Lincoln at Gettysburg. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992.

Within the pages of this Pulitzer Prize winning book, Wills brilliantly dissects Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg.


Web Guide

Abraham Lincoln Association, The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln http://www.hti.umich.edu/l/lincoln/

Explore the great president's complete writings on this easy-to-use web site.

Camp Curtin Historical Society http://www.campcurtin.org

Although somewhat difficult to navigate, this impressive site offers a treasure trove of original documents from ordinary soldiers

Gettysburg National Military Park, National Park Service http://www.nps.gov/gett/

A prime gateway for tourists to learn about the war's most pivotal battle and about the essentials for visiting the battlefield.

Louisiana State University, "The U.S. Civil War Center," http://www.lib.lsu.edu/cwc/

This is the premier web site for Civil War links and web-based information.

University of Virginia, "Valley of the Shadow" http://www.iath.virginia.edu/vshadow2/

A landmark web project that includes fascinating primary sources on life and culture in two communities along the Mason-Dixon Line –Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Augusta County, Virginia

West Virginia University, "To be More than Equal: Many Lives of Martin R. Delany" http://web.archive.org/web/20120424045333/http://www.libraries.wvu.edu...

Rich, detailed site devoted to one of the key figures in the Underground Railroad in western Pennsylvania

Wilkes University, Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1789-2004 http://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/gov/index.html

An incredibly useful resource, this web site contains presidential, senatorial and gubernatorial election results in Pennsylvania over the past 200+ years presented in both county-by-county tables and maps

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