Battle Cry of Freedom

I have especially enjoyed reading this book! I have taught about the Civil War for years, and through reading this book, I have found out many more substantial facts of what preceded the war. A very complex situation that sprawls many decades with so very many perspectives, it is no wonder that with their communication at that time that war would result.
I found it sad that when the southern plantation owners figured out why the north was "richer" than the south and tried to emulate the industrialization that had taken place in the north, that it was already too late for them to catch up. I really think that the south should have figured this out earlier based on how much cotton they actually kept for themselves! I'm thinking that the lack of communication played into this late realization.
I liked a particular section in the book where it talks about Thomas Jefferson and his philosophies concerning "the essence of liberty is independence, which required the ownership of productive property; that a man dependent on others for a living could never be truly free, nor could a dependent class constitute the basis of a republican government". Yet interestingly enough, Jefferson himself not only had slaves, but was dependent upon them for his living! I would like to study more about Jefferson, and why he continued to live as a slave owner. Why didn't he have a burning conviction to free his slaves and work his own fields with his family? Again, the backlash of greed.
As a teacher, I have always had my students take a role of northerner or southerner, and debate why slaves were required/not required, and why slavery continued in a "God fearing" land.
Now, as I teach the many varied reasons that concluded with war among the states, I will teach a broader, more indepth history of the tensions that existed for too long.