The Loyal Republic

March 1, 2018

The American Civil War altered both citizens' relationship with the government and what it meant to be loyal. Prior to the war, most Americans believed their primary allegiance belonged to their home state; their relationship to the federal government was loosely defined by a set of rights. Here, Mathisen (history, Queen Mary Univ. of London) examines the question of loyalty in both the Union and Confederate parties. The author tracks how concepts of loyalty changed during the war and Reconstruction. Mississippi, with a population sympathetic to the Confederate cause, experienced Union occupation from the earliest days of the war. African Americans had the most to gain by linking loyalty to citizenship, as it allowed them to make greater demands for participation in the political and electoral life of the Republic. In the 1860s, as President Andrew Johnson's vision of a harsh Reconstruction faded, the concepts of loyalty and citizenship became uncoupled. African Americans saw their new-found rights eroded under unyielding white supremacy and local governments as well as the blind eye of the federal government. VERDICT Anyone interested in the Civil War and questions of loyalty and citizenship will find much to enjoy in this book.--Chad E. Statler, Westlake Porter P.L., Westlake, OH

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