Authors’ Sala Reading
Marc Engal 
Fri, June 12, 5–7pm
St. Paul’s Church
Cardo 6
70 pesos

Economic origins of the Civil War By Cynthia Simmons

Author and historian Marc Engal believes “myths are luxuries no nation can afford.” He shatters American mythology about the cause of the War Between the States in his most recent book, Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War.

Engal, a Philadelphia native, completed his undergraduate work at Swarthmore College and graduate work at the University of Wisconsin before moving to Canada in 1970 to lecture at Toronto’s York University, where he is a professor of history. His four books and numerous publications have centered on the American Revolution and Civil War. 

Engal’s coming of age during the sixties gave rise to his interest in these two critical junctures in US history. “I was very much caught up in this exciting decade of protest and change during my years of higher education,” Engal said. “That period of turmoil helped direct my attention to the larger questions in US history. How did the US become the remarkable nation it is today, with such contradictory accomplishments and impulses? America is at once a beacon of freedom to the world and (at times) an oppressive imperial power. It is a land of opportunity, but also a country of profound racism and xenophobia. Those questions led me to look at two key formative events: the American Revolution and the Civil War.”

The prevalent opinion is that slavery was the primary cause of the Civil War. The Republicans wanted to free the slaves; the Confederates defended the institution. After Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election, Southern states began seceding from the Union and attacked Fort Sumter, SC, in the first official battle of the war. The assumption has been that humanitarian and idealistic concerns propelled the Republicans’ objection to the expansion of slavery. Engal’s latest book provides a new interpretation—he argues that their objection stemmed from economic interest rather than social concerns.

Although reviewers have disagreed about Engal’s assertion that the preeminent cause of the war was economic differences, most agree that it was one of the contributing factors. Chris Kingston’s review, “Engal Revisits Civil War Theory,” appearing in the Harvard Crimson, February 5, 2009, calls Engal’s argument “powerful and valid” and states, “It’s important to consider slavery from an economic, rather than a primarily ethical, standpoint.” Kingston feels that this interpretation is “troubling” because he asks us to look at this “war of liberation” through a darker lens, “economic motivation.”

On June 12, Engal’s discussion of Clash of Extremes will be followed by an interactive performance and reading of Conversations across Borders—Woven Words. This collaborative, work-in-progress by writer and educator Kathleen Hudson, Emmy award-winning composer/producer/performer Ken Bichel and interdisciplinary artist Tim Hazell will combine the creation of a Conté drawing with music and woven words.

Starting with this June event, the Authors’ Sala is raising the price of admission to 70 pesos. As always, though, admission is on a sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for inability to pay. Next month, the Sala returns to Posada de San Francisco, Plaza Principal 2, at 5pm on Friday, July 10.