"No study of the American Civil War is complete without an understanding of the events that unfolded in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. Abolitionist John Brown became a martyr to many through his raid on the federal arsenal there, in support of a slave rebellion. But he became a reviled enemy to those opposed to abolition. This in-depth account provides many fascinating details of the planning of the raid, such as Brown s attempt to recruit Frederick...

"The early years of the United States were not wholly tranquil. The new nation was on rocky economic ground. Though paper money was in circulation, it was not worth much. Many people were suffering and did not have a voice in government. These conditions gave rise to the rebellion led by former Continental army captain Daniel Shays, beginning in 1786. This volume explains what happened when Shays and more than one thousand followers attempted to capture...

"Nathaniel 'Nat' Turner was a black slave who led a rebellion in the American South in the summer of 1831. A charismatic leader, Turner gathered about 75 slaves to his cause. By the time the insurrection was suppressed, more than 100 were dead, and Turner was hanged. In the aftermath, laws were passed to prevent the education of slaves and a deeper schism opened between abolitionists and slaveholders. The rebellion was truly a harbinger of the bloody...