Calculating the Value of the Union

“Readers will appreciate this book’s exhaustive treatment of the role that property rights played in the demise of the Second Party System and the coming of the Civil War.” — American Historical Review

“For persuasively conveying the eminence of property rights in the drive toward secession and the Civil War, and for its engaging literary style, [this] book is strongly recommended.” — The Historian

“Huston expertly dissects the political rhetoric to reveal that antebellum Americans primarily put forward differing conceptions of property when debating slavery.” — Journal of Southern History

“After a considerable period of neglect, the origins of the Civil War are back on the historical agenda, and James Huston’s foray into this subject is extremely welcome.” — Civil War History

“It will surely stand as a lasting contribution to the ever-expounding literature on the causes of the sectional schism. . . . Calculating the Winds of the Union: Slavery, Property Rights, and the Economics Origins of the Civil War is another large step toward answering exactly how slavery caused the Civil War.” — Georgia Historical Quarterly

“Huston’s work provides a valuable synthesis of economic ideas and their role in the Civil War. . . . Huston profitably synthesizes the many strands of antebellum economic thinking and offers a fresh and intriguing perspective on the war.” — Journal of Illinois History

“No historian writing today surpasses James L. Huston in breadth of research or in analytical power. In Calculating the Value of the Union, he undertakes the daunting task of presenting a fresh interpretation of the causes of America’s Civil War and succeeds wonderfully. This book will have a major impact on our understanding of the sectional conflict.” — Stanley Harrold, author of Subversives: Antislavery Community in Washington, D.C., 1828–1865