Emerson's Civil Wars
Spirit and Society in the Age of Abolition

Reveals how America's greatest public intellectual struggled with his ambition, philosophy, and feelings about race to eventually support abolitionism.

Kenneth S. Sacks (Author)

9781009504881, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 November 2024

268 pages
23.6 x 15.9 x 2.1 cm, 0.52 kg

'… a crucial, enlightening account of a contradictory figure's central contradiction. … Highly recommended.' J. Risinger, CHOICE

Kenneth S. Sacks explores how America's first public intellectual, determined to live self-reliantly, wrestled with his personal philosophy and eventually supported collective action to abolish slavery. Ralph Waldo Emerson was successful in creating a national audience for his philosophy and enjoyed the material and social rewards of that success. Contrary to most other Emerson scholars, however, Sacks argues that Emerson resisted active abolition and did not become a supporter until events forced his hand. Committing to the antislavery movement was risky and ran against his essential belief in social gradualism. Events in the mid-1850s, though, hastened Emerson's conversion and he eventually became a leader in the movement. A study of an intellectual under the pressure to engage in political action, Emerson's Civil Wars enriches our understanding of Emerson's antislavery activities, life, and career.

List of Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Reluctant Abolitionist
2. In Search of His Set
3. Highest Belief
4. On Race
5. Emerson's Conversion
6. Overcoming Fate
Conclusion: Loss, Remembrance, and Redemption
References
Index.

Subject Areas: History of the Americas [HBJK]