In past weeks, we have heard many analogies about the Civil War and Southern states.
But remember: An important place to get the facts is at your library.
What led to war? As stated in Henry Steele Commager's introduction of the "Civil War Almanac," at issue was "the survival of a nation that had been created from the ground up and supported by the people, as President Lincoln so eloquently stated, 'dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.'
"The other issue was like the first and, also stated by President Lincoln, 'could the nation endure half slave and half free.'"
Was the Civil War about the Union and freedom? Follow the trail that historians created in these books available for check-out at the Crestview Public Library. Then draw your own conclusions.
●"Crestview: The Forkland," by Betty Sanders Curenton and Claudia Garrett Patten
●"Heritage of Okaloosa County, Florida, Volume I & II," published by Heritage Publishing Consultants Inc.
●"The American Civil War, A Military History," by John Keegan
●"American Slavery, Turning Points in World History," by William Dudley
●"The Civil War Almanac," by John Bowman
●"History of Slavery," by Susanne Everett
●"The South's Last Boys in Gray," by Jay S. Hoar
The library has a large collection of books on the Civil War. Come in and browse through them in the 973.7 non-fiction section.
Jean Lewis is the Crestview Public Library's director.
- Here's the database link to all Florida Department of State Heritage Trail Guides: http://dos.myflorida.com/historical/preservation/heritage-trails/.
- Here's an excellent link to Sources to US History online. The Civil Law, http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/CivilWar;jsessionid=5D8C454ED08173112864802C87701EF0?locID=fl_ocplc
- Link to read the Civil War Heritage Trail Guide online PDF: http://dos.myflorida.com/media/32357/civilwarheritagetrail.pdf.
The library also has this in print for pickup at no charge. Also the Florida Black Heritage Trail is available at no charge.
More Civil War information resources
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LEWIS: 7 Crestview library books with facts about the Civil War