This course examines the American Civil War in a realistic and unromantic light, discussing the challenging experiences of ordinary people and the uncertain decisions of military and political leaders. Emphasis is placed on both the years leading up to the Civil War and the war's aftermath in the North and the South. The course integrates political, social, military, and economic forces, and reframes the period of the Civil War as a conflicting legacy and insufficient cause for American self-congratulation for racial justice.