Year of meteors : Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the election that brought on the Civil War

 by Douglas R. Egerton. In the wake of the first election of an African American as President of the United States, Egerton (history, LeMoyne Coll.; Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America) examines the importance of race in the presidential election of 1860, when a relatively unknown candidate came from behind to be elected to the nation's highest office. Following the fortunes of Democrat Stephen Douglas, Republican Abraham Lincoln, and a host of others significant to the election, Egerton highlights the central role played by race in the dynamics of political party, sectionalism, and politics generally in the election after which the nation was plunged into Civil War. VERDICT Heavily documented, relying on substantial primary and manuscript sources, this book sheds new light on an often researched topic. All those with an interest in the importance of race in the nation's history will want to acquire this highly readable work, even if they own other recent studies of the election, such as Gary Ecelbarger's The Great Comeback: How Abraham Lincoln Beat the Odds To Win the 1860 Republican Nomination. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)