Volume VI of Edward Channing's acclaimed A History of the United States, titled The War for Southern Independence, 1849-1865, offers a sweeping and meticulously researched account of the political, social, and military developments that led to and defined the American Civil War. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1926, this volume stands as a landmark in early 20th-century historiography. Beginning with the turbulent decade before the war, Channing traces the rising sectional tensions over slavery, state sovereignty, and economic interests. He explores the failure of compromise, the deepening national divide, and the eventual secession of the Southern states. The narrative moves through the major battles and campaigns of the Civil War, while also addressing the home front, leadership struggles, emancipation, and the transformation of the Union's war aims. Balanced and richly detailed, this volume captures the enormity of the conflict that reshaped the American nation. Channing's scholarship offers readers a deeper understanding of how the ideals of liberty and union were tested-and ultimately preserved-through one of the most defining periods in U.S. history

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