The Fate of Liberty
What is the theme in The Fate of Liberty by Mark E. Neely, Jr.?
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Another theme is Inefficiency. The Fate of Liberty shows much inefficiency in the conduct of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln comes to the presidency in 1861 with no executive experience and unformed thoughts about the writ of habeas corpus and martial law, which prove to be nearly immediately necessary. He delegates to Secretary of State William H. Seward preparing the first proclamation suspending the writ of habeas corpus along the railways from Philadelphia to Washington, to prevent the capital from being cut off. Expansion of the order southward to Florida merely confirms the local General's actions, and the expansion northward in stages to Maine departs from the original narrow and practical intent.