{"product_id":"a-secret-society-history-of-the-civil-war-9780252036552","title":"A Secret Society History of the Civil War","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis unique history of the Civil War considers the impact of nineteenth-century American secret societies on the path to as well as the course of the war. Beginning with the European secret societies that laid the groundwork for Freemasonry in the United States  Mark A. Lause analyzes how the Old Worlds traditions influenced various underground groups and movements in America  particularly George Lippards Brotherhood of the Union  an American attempt to replicate the political secret societies that influenced the European revolutions of 1848. Lause traces the Brotherhoods various manifestations  the most conspicuous being the Knights of the Golden Circle (out of which developed the Ku Klux Klan)  and the Confederate secret groups through which John Wilkes Booth and others attempted to undermine the Union. Lause profiles the key leaders of these organizations  with special focus on George Lippard  Hugh Forbes  and George Washington Lafayette Bickley. Antebellum secret societies ranged politically from those with progressive or even revolutionary agendas to those that pursued conservative or oppressive goals. This book shows how  in the years leading up to the Civil War  these clandestine organizations exacerbated existing sectional tensions in the United States. Lauses research indicates that the pervasive influence of secret societies may have played a part in key events such as the Freesoil movement  the beginning of the Republican party  John Browns raid on Harpers Ferry  Lincolns election  and the Southern secession process of 1860-1861. This exceptional study encompasses both white and African American secret society involvement  revealing the black fraternal experience in antebellum America as well as the clandestine operations that provided assistance to escaped slaves via the Underground Railroad. Unraveling these pervasive and extensive networks of power and influence  A Secret Society History of the Civil War demonstrates that antebellum secret societies played a greater role in affecting Civil War-era politics than has been previously acknowledged.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45652002471989,"sku":"ByrdShop_0252036557","price":36.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780252036552.jpg?v=1781848223","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/a-secret-society-history-of-the-civil-war-9780252036552","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}