"Although many white Northerners did not favor racial equality, most supported emancipation, because as one Union soldier from Illinois wrote his parents, 'Slavery stands in the way of putting down the rebellion.'"
Chapter One, p. 3

"Slavery had mocked the ideals of a nation dedicated to freedom and equality. Now as the United States faced Reconstruction, or the work of putting the country back together, it had the chance to live up to its creed."
Chapter One, p.7

"Most white Southerners believed that God created black people for the special purpose of working and serving white people."
Chapter One, p.7

"Most white Southerners scarcely knew a family that didn't mourn a relative or friend killed or wounded in the war."
Chapter Two, p. 14

"Tennessee had witnessed more battles than any other state except Virginia, including three of the deadliest battles of the war."
Chapter Two, p. 15

"Although some...