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KennyCohen February2,2014 APUSH BattleCryofFreedombyJamesMcPherson JamesMcPhersonisanawardwinningauthorandCivilWarhistorian.HereceivedhisPhD. fromJohnHopkinsUniversityin1963.Hismostfamousbook,BattleCryofFreedom,was publishedin1988.In1989,hereceivedaPulitzerPrizeforthiswork.Duringhispresidencyat theAmericanHistoricalAssociation,hestronglyadvocatedthepreservationofCivilWar battlefields.HeisaprofessorofAmericanHistoryatPrincetonUniversity.Heiscurrentlyonthe editorialboardoftheEncyclopediaBritannica.In2009,McPhersonsignedapetitionasking ObamanottolayawreathattheConfederateMonumentMemorialatArlington.Obamadidit anyway. BattleCryofFreedomisaworkaboutthecompletehistoryoftheAmericanCivilWar.Itdetails lifebeforethewar,thecausesofthewar,thefightingofthewar,thediplomacyofthewar,life afterthewar,andtheeffectsofthewar.

AstheWashingtonPoststates,Thefinestsingle volumeonthewaranditsbackground.McPhersontendstobeunbiasedbuthisdevotionto theUniondoesshowattimes.Thisbook,fromcovertocover,isfilledonlywithfactsand analysesoftheeventsofthewar.McPhersonisabletodothisswiftlyandcoherently. BattleCryofFreedomwasfirstpublishedin1988andissuedasapaperbackwithpicturesin 2003. AsIreadthefirstparagraphsofthisreviewfromtheNewYorkTimes,IthoughtthatI completelyagreedwiththereviewer,HerbertMitgang.Heacknowledgesthereadabilityofthe bookanditseloquenceandstatesthatitsthebestonevolumeCivilWarbookhehasread.He nextstatesthathisonlycomplaintisthelackofclarityinthemapsinthebook.Itisaperfectly honestcomplaintbutthatsnotMcPhersonsfault.Hethenstates,Icanthinkofnothingelse tocomplainabout.Laterinthearticlehecomplainsaboutthechaptertitlingoftheeighth chapter,TheCounterrevolutionof1861.HonestlyMitgang,McPhersonhasearnedtheright tonamehischapterstohispleasingandItrusthisjudgmentandreputationoveryours. MitgangpraisesMcPhersonforleavingoutLincolnsassassination.Ithinkthiswasamistake. WhenIreadthischapter,IwentbacktolooktoseeifIskippedapage,andafterthatIwentto theindextoseeifMcPhersonputitinadifferentchapter.IwasinterestedtohereMcPhersons pointofviewonthisbuthechosetoleaveitout.Otherthanthat,Mitgangspraiseof McPhersoniswelldeserved.
Mitgang,Herbert."TheBloodiestofWars."NewYorkTimes14Feb.1988:1.Print.

KennyCohen February2,2014 APUSH Findinganotherdecent,scholarly,reviewofthisbookseemstonotbepossible.Goingthrough severalpagesofsearchresultsleadstoreviewsprimarilyabouttheillustrationsandlengthof thebookfromnovicebloggers. BattleCryofFreedom,byJamesMcPherson,startsslow.However,onemustimmerse themselvesintoatimeperiodtofullygraspthesituationathand.Theopeningchaptersdiscuss everythingfromsocial,economic,andpoliticalaspectsoftherichestandpoorestpeoplesofthe smallestandlargesttownacrossAmerica,fromNorthtoSouthandEasttoWest.McPherson goestotroublingdetailtogivethereaderthefullperspective.AstheConfederateStates secede,McPhersongivesthemotives,causes,actions,andeffectsofeverypartofthewarand relatesthemtoeachother.Heisnotjustgivingahistorybuttellingthestoryofourcountry.He talksaboutLincolnsfeelingstowardhisgeneralsandtowardstheinstitutionthatstartedthis war.However,McPhersondoesdiscussthattheConfederateswerenotfightingthiswarfor slaveryandthattheUnionwasnotfightingthiswarforslavery.McPhersontellsofthebattles, whatiswasliketobeasoldieronbothsidesofthetrenches.Toanuneducatedreaderlike myself,McPhersondoesagreatjobeducatedthereaderontheentirecivilwar.AstheNew YorkTimesstated,hedoesleaveoutLincolnsassassination.IresentthisIwouldhaveenjoyed thefactsandMcPhersonsopinionofthisheinousact.AsUnitedStateshistorywentonafter this,andhistoryclass,IwouldhavemuchenjoyedMcPhersonsdescriptionsoftheeventsbut thatisforanotherbook.

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