America Aflame

David Goldfield examines the social and political factors leading up to the start of the Civil War, focusing on the role that religion played. Professor Goldfield reports on how evangelicalism provided a backdrop of good versus evil that permeated the split between the North and South. The author argues that a politically mediated resolution to the fissure between the two sides became unrealistic due to the inclusion of religion in political affairs. David Goldfield spoke one the one hundred-fiftieth anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter that opened the Civil War. He showed slides during his presentation and responded to questions from members of the audience. This program of the Georgia Center for the Book was held at the Decatur Library, the main library of the DeKalb County Public Library in Decatur, Georgia. close