What Shall We Do With the Negro?: Lincoln, White Racism, and Civil War America

Escott (history, Wake Forest U.) uses newspapers, magazines, books, Army records and government documents from the Civil War era to examine attitudes about "the future of African-Americans after the end of slavery." The author pays special attention to the policies of Abraham Lincoln, noting that unification was a much higher priority that emancipation despite popular belief. This book, written for historians as well as general audiences, focuses on the evolution of actual wartime and racial policies during the Civil War and compares Southern and Northern public opinion and media coverage. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Paul D. Escott is Reynolds Professor of History at Wake Forest University and the author of After Secession and Slavery Remembered, winner of the Mayflower Cup.