{"product_id":"the-field-of-blood-violence-in-congress-and-the-road-to-civil-war-9781250234582","title":"The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"One of the best history books I've read in the last few years.\" \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Chris Hayes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Field of Blood \u003c\/i\u003erecounts the previously untold story of the violence in Congress that helped spark the Civil War.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eAN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE OF \u003ci\u003eSMITHSONIAN'S \u003c\/i\u003eBEST HISTORY BOOKS OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHistorian Joanne B. Freeman recovers the long-lost story of physical violence on the floor of the U.S. Congress. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources, she shows that the Capitol was rife with conflict in the decades before the Civil War. Legislative sessions were often punctuated by mortal threats, canings, flipped desks, and all-out slugfests. When debate broke down, congressmen drew pistols and waved Bowie knives. One representative even killed another in a duel. Many were beaten and bullied in an attempt to intimidate them into compliance, particularly on the issue of slavery. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese fights didn't happen in a vacuum. Freeman's dramatic accounts of brawls and thrashings tell a larger story of how fisticuffs and journalism, and the powerful emotions they elicited, raised tensions between North and South and led toward war. In the process, she brings the antebellum Congress to life, revealing its rough realities--the feel, sense, and sound of it--as well as its nation-shaping import. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFunny, tragic, and rivetingly told, \u003ci\u003eThe Field of Blood\u003c\/i\u003e offers a front-row view of congressional mayhem and sheds new light on the careers of John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and other luminaries, as well as introducing a host of lesser-known but no less fascinating men. The result is a fresh understanding of the workings of American democracy and the bonds of Union on the eve of their greatest peril.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joanne B. Freeman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Picador USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/10\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 480\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.78lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781250234582","brand":"Picador USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42709144404105,"sku":"9781250234582","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_dd5e9e72-d396-4867-8b7c-37675059d0d1.jpg?v=1719511618","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-field-of-blood-violence-in-congress-and-the-road-to-civil-war-9781250234582","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}