In a February 24 lecture based on her 2019 book Armies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War, Dr. Elizabeth R. Varon argues that the Union was motivated to fight not only to free the enslaved, but also to redeem white Southerners from the tyranny of the planter class and the slaveholding economy. This "politics of deliverance" helped unify the North and contributed to the Union victory, but it failed to grapple with resistance from white Southerners who rejected the North’s terms and undermined Reconstruction. Interweaving military and social history, Varon offers new perspectives on the attitudes, goals, and frustrations of both sides.
In addition to being able to attend in-person, the option to attend via Zoom (with required free registration) is available here.