Introduction: The Congress, the Civil War, and the making of modern America / Paul Finkelman -- Conscription and the consolidation of federal power during the Civil War / Jennifer L. Weber -- To slip the surly bonds of states' rights and form a more perfect (financial) union : one legacy of the Thirty-Seventh Congress / Jenny Bourne -- Abraham Lincoln and "government girls" in wartime Washington / Daniel W. Stowell -- The Morrill Land-Grant College Act of 1862 : seedbed of the American system of public universities / Peter Wallenstein -- Military conflict on the Minnesota homefront : Lincoln's humanitarian concerns, political pressures, the Dakota pardons, and the future of U.S. military law / Paul Finkelman -- Behind the scenes: Abraham Lincoln's life in the White House / Jean H. Baker -- A national icon comes of age / Guy Gugliotta
Summary
Drawn from a wide range of historical expertise and approaching the topic from a variety of angles, these essays explore the changes in life at home during the Civil War that led to a revolution in American society and set the stage for the making of modern America
