Making an Antislavery Nation: Lincoln, Douglas and the Battle over Freedom by Graham A. Peck
I was apprehensive about this book when I began reading it. While the introduction was intriguing and the information well laid out I was unsure how the book would play out with the focus so narrowly focused on Illinois changing politics. I was worried that the story would end up being a history lesson on Illinois, immigration into that state and Chicago. Well, it was that and it was also an in depth look at the politics of Stephen A. Douglas and his efforts to keep the Northern Democrats and the Southern Democrats united. That wasn’t what I was expecting from the book. I was definitely expecting it to have a wider ranging view on the changes of the nation. Once I realized that this would be scaled down, I had to completely readjust my expectations of this book.
Peck did a sufficient job with distributing the information regarding the progressively changing politics. I was glad that he chose to tell the story chronologically and that he went through so much effort to be concise and thorough. Unfortunately this story had a tendency to become very dense and at times repetitive. I was also somewhat disappointed in how little was actually mentioned of Lincoln. His policies and history were really only discussed in the last chapter of the book. While on the other hand, it felt like every decision Douglas made since the 1840s was discussed at length.
Overall, this book offered an interesting look at one state and how its changing demographics and politics reflected the changing tide of the nation. By looking at the one state Peck strives to describe how the country changed into a nation willing to fight to rid itself of slavery.

I've actually already recommended this book to a few friends. It's brilliantly written and dives into the parts of history that are often lost in standard history textbooks. I found this book to be engaging, well-written, facts presented nicely without feeling like an information dump, and overall an enjoyable and enlightening read.

Illinois has a specific history that makes its journey through the early days of the Union and its relationship to slavery very unique. Peck covers all the angles from the colonial aftermath to the economic infrastructure. The thing that amazes me is the inherent acceptability of slavery in general and how it is explained away through twisted morality and economics. A useful book in getting a feel for an emerging nation.

Graham Peck in Making an Anti-Slavery Nation while talking about slavery in the United States is also talking more generally about slavery in Illinois and the political problems that it created for politicians. Illinois is even today a divided state between North-South, but this divide was particularly pronounced over slavery in the 1800’s. Peck takes the reader through the political and economic reasons why slavery endured, even though many people in the northern part of the state may not have personally wanted it.

Making an Anti-Slavery Nation takes the reader through this complex political game played most specifically by Lincoln and Stephen Douglas of on one hand being less than a slavery cheerleader, while yet still needing the Southern Illinois vote, for many of whom, slavery was a way of life and a birthright. This delicate dance had some unfortunate results. I learned a lot because Illinois proved to be the perfect battleground over slavery.