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Shortly after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in November 1860, governors of Southern states declared that Republican abolitionists had taken over the federal government. Meanwhile, Northern governors reminded them that the election left Southern Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress, and that the Supreme Court was still controlled by pro-Southern justices. As editor Dwight T. Pitcaithley notes in his introduction to this volume, by the time of Lincoln's inauguration, "passion had overtaken reason-seven states had already departed the Union and established a separate government in Alabama."

In his latest documentary history of the Civil War era, The Governors Speak, Pitcaithley presents the fiery speeches of Southern governors in the wake of Lincoln's election, then shows how Northern governors responded to the threats of secession. The first section is divided into categories that reflect the Southern states' respective commitments to secession: "The Deep South," "The Upper South," and "The Border South." The second section presents the addresses of Northern governors in chronological order.

Curated with the skill of an expert editor and accompanied by a substantial introduction and epilogue, The Governors Speak serves as a helpful reference for scholars of the Civil War and as essential reading for anyone seeking a fuller understanding of Secession Winter.