Civil War by Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy - History Book on US Democracy Struggles | Perfect for Political Science Students & History Enthusiasts

A fundamental premise of Civil War by Other Means is that one cannot understand and fix the present without understanding how we came to be in the present. University of Texas Professor Jeremi Suri provides a compelling analysis of the roots of the American journey to achieve a multi-racial democracy with equality of opportunity for all.   Suri provides a gripping and insight-filled exploration of the history and implications to present-day issues of civil rights, voter suppression, white supremacy, and related matters. It is a narrative that draws one in and brings the implications to both individuals and broad groups. He makes these points by including both the actions (and inactions) of leaders in the post-Civil War reconstruction period and beyond. It is a sordid tale of occasional successes and heartbreaking failure, both in individuals and institutions. But while history, it is not a story of the past alone. One cannot help but to be shocked by the eerie familiarity of the approaches and even the specific language that reaches to the present. Contemporary readers will be appalled at the repetition of specious arguments and slogans that have defined this subject over the decades since the Civil War. Many related issues continue to the present. There are important lessons for leaders and followers as well. We see well-meaning individuals without the necessary intellectual or political skills to succeed in the difficult circumstances with which they are faced. Good men (and they are all men in this history, of course) are not able to read the political climate correctly nor seek with the necessary imagination creative solutions to very challenging problems. The leadership skills necessary to perform as president or for other senior officials appeared to be largely absent in the generation after Lincoln. Even otherwise good men like Grant, who excelled as a military commander, fall short when faced with the basic realities of political leadership in such circumstances. It brings us to the uncomfortable reality that we do not, as a society, appreciate the nuances necessary for effective leadership. These are further hurdles for us to surmount in a democratic republic facing difficult issues. Suri provides a final analysis and conclusions necessary to repair the body politic. He correctly asserts (in my view) the cancerous nature and ugly autophagy of racism to the American Dream and the health of the republic. He provides challenging but necessary steps to cure the patient. None of these are easy or  simple. None are likely to be implemented in the short run. Suri provides us with a valuable diagnosis of the disease the patient faces and the cure. His implied challenge to us is that we the people need to engage for the long haul in the difficult work of creating a more perfect union.  But we should start with understanding our own history. Suri provides us with this story.