On the brink of civil war by john c Waugh starts with the early December of 1849 and the new thirty-first congress, issues arise within congress primarily dealing with the issue of slavery and how it will be handled across the ever-expanding union when more issues arrive . The main problems that arise within the book are: what to do about admitting slavery into the new territories , the problem of slavery and slave trade within the District of Columbia and The Texas- New Mexico boundary issue.
The Missouri comprise had doubled the size of the union , there was “828,000 square miles beyond Mississippi” (Waugh 9). Congress was the enforcer of all necessary rules and regulations governing the territories, Missouri’s popululaiton grew at this time “ 56,00 freemen and 10,000 slaves”(Waugh 10). The major issue with the newly acclaimed land was whether they were admitting slavery into the territories, Henry Clay’s Omnibus had written “ the people themselves would decide …show more content…
This book makes a compelingjourney thourgh the troubled times of1850 , that reads as novel Waugh has done a great job in raveling the reader with storytelling instead of monotomous jargon that is expected in historical books. On the Brink of Civil War is also ,well detailed , Waugh’s intricate style is apparent througought the book . An illustration of such would be Waugh’s description of Bell, a relative of Henry Clay whom he stayed with when writing the Omnibus, was a “stiff , glum natured man dignified to the point of aloofness”, his “large frame a calm and cautious visage”. Waugh’s description envokes imagery and constructs characters that deepens meaning and understanding of the context. The book’s chapter were arranged with citation and quotes backed with a index made the structure excellent for academic research, additionally it makes the contextual research evident in the novel-like
The Missouri comprise had doubled the size of the union , there was “828,000 square miles beyond Mississippi” (Waugh 9). Congress was the enforcer of all necessary rules and regulations governing the territories, Missouri’s popululaiton grew at this time “ 56,00 freemen and 10,000 slaves”(Waugh 10). The major issue with the newly acclaimed land was whether they were admitting slavery into the territories, Henry Clay’s Omnibus had written “ the people themselves would decide …show more content…
This book makes a compelingjourney thourgh the troubled times of1850 , that reads as novel Waugh has done a great job in raveling the reader with storytelling instead of monotomous jargon that is expected in historical books. On the Brink of Civil War is also ,well detailed , Waugh’s intricate style is apparent througought the book . An illustration of such would be Waugh’s description of Bell, a relative of Henry Clay whom he stayed with when writing the Omnibus, was a “stiff , glum natured man dignified to the point of aloofness”, his “large frame a calm and cautious visage”. Waugh’s description envokes imagery and constructs characters that deepens meaning and understanding of the context. The book’s chapter were arranged with citation and quotes backed with a index made the structure excellent for academic research, additionally it makes the contextual research evident in the novel-like