{"product_id":"who-freed-the-slaves-leonard-l-richards-9780226178202","title":"Who Freed the Slaves?: The Fight Over the Thirteenth Amendment","description":"In the popular imagination, slavery in the United States ended with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation may have been limited--freeing only slaves within Confederate states who were able to make their way to Union lines--but it is nonetheless generally seen as the key moment, with Lincoln's leadership setting into motion a train of inevitable events that culminated in the passage of an outright ban: the Thirteenth Amendment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The real story, however, is much more complicated--and dramatic--than that. With \u003ci\u003eWho Freed the Slaves?\u003c\/i\u003e, distinguished historian Leonard L. Richards tells the little-known story of the battle over the Thirteenth Amendment, and of James Ashley, the unsung Ohio congressman who proposed the amendment and steered it to passage. Taking readers to the floor of Congress and the back rooms where deals were made, Richards brings to life the messy process of legislation--a process made all the more complicated by the bloody war and the deep-rooted fear of black emancipation. We watch as Ashley proposes, fine-tunes, and pushes the amendment even as Lincoln drags his feet, only coming aboard and providing crucial support at the last minute. Even as emancipation became the law of the land, Richards shows, its opponents were already regrouping, beginning what would become a decades-long--and largely successful--fight to limit the amendment's impact. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eWho Freed the Slaves? \u003c\/i\u003eis a masterwork of American history, presenting a surprising, nuanced portrayal of a crucial moment for the nation, one whose effects are still being felt today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Leonard L. Richards\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 022617820X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226178202\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/06\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/12\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2015 pg. 86\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2015","brand":"Leonard L. Richards","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44075971117311,"sku":"9780226178202","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_cbdaecc3-01b9-4a0b-9d40-1984cd96693d.jpg?v=1685462466","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/who-freed-the-slaves-leonard-l-richards-9780226178202","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}