Emerson's Civil Wars: Spirit and Society in the Age of Abolition (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781009504881)

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.

Author: Kenneth S. Sacks
ISBN-10: 1009504886
ISBN-13: 9781009504881
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/23/2025
Pages: 268
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.18lbs
Size: 9.11h x 6.34w x 0.79d