Year Of Eclipse By Louis P. Masur Analysis

1831: Year of Eclipse by Louis P. Masur questions the events that occurred during the year of 1831 in the United States and how they affected the country and put it on the path towards the Civil War. Masur addresses this question by focusing on four main subjects, which are coincidentally the four chapters of the book. These topics are Slavery and Abolition which discusses the issues regarding free blacks and the plans that were formed in order to abolish slavery, among other topics, Religion and Politics talks about the flood of religious sects and movements that were formed and the issues entering politics as a result, State and Nation examined the origins of the divide that would eventually led to the birth of the Confederacy, and finally Machines and Nature, which talked about the birth of the locomotion revolution and the interactions between Americans and their natural surroundings. The short answer to Masur’s question is that it was the simultaneous stagnation and progress that was coursing through the United States that pushed the country towards the Civil War. It was issues such as the inability to decide whether or not to abolish slavery and what to do with the freed slaves afterword, the constant back and forth politics that led to the Native Americans forced exodus on the Trail …show more content…
Prior to reading 1831: Year of Eclipse, one might be able to think of these events occurring over a course of multiple years but in reality, the topics that he chose helped to display the sheer amount of progress and unproductivity that occurred during one year. After reading Masur’s book, I can see many similarities to our politics today. Looking back, it is insane to think that so much has happened over the course of 2016 in the United States and the world