The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 1, July, 1863 / Devoted to Literature and National Policy

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

21983

Title

The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 1, July, 1863 / Devoted to Literature and National Policy

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Published in July 1863, this volume of The Continental Monthly offers a diverse mix of literature and national policy during the Civil War. It features essays on emancipation, historical analyses of the South's origins, and various short stories and poems. The collection balances serious political discourse with lighter fiction, poetry, and humor, reflecting the era's complex social and intellectual landscape.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in July 1863, Volume 4, Number 1 of *The Continental Monthly* serves as a vital document of the Civil War era, blending high-quality literature with rigorous political debate to support the Union cause. The volume's intellectual centerpiece is an extensive article by Rev. C. C. Starbuck on emancipation in Jamaica. Starbuck utilizes the island's experience to dismantle pro-slavery arguments that claim freed Black laborers are inherently lazy or incapable of industry. He contends that while individual faults exist, they are often exacerbated by slavery and heathenism rather than created by them. Starbuck highlights the potential for community improvement through churches and associations, though he acknowledges the significant difficulty of fostering mutual trust among recently freed people, noting that even two Black men could hardly own a sugar mill in common due to a lack of confidence in one another. Another major contribution is an essay by Hon. Robert J. Walker, written from Ireland, which rigorously debunks the 'Cavalier Theory' regarding Southern ancestry. Walker utilizes census data to demonstrate that a significant portion of the Southern white population in 1860 consisted of immigrants or their descendants, rather than a homogeneous line of English gentry. He further argues that the traditional 'gentlemanly' origins of Virginians are largely mythical, citing historical records of the colony being populated by servants, convicts, and those fleeing persecution rather than solely by aristocratic families. Walker concludes that the idea of a unified Southern patriciate descended from English cavaliers is statistically unsupported. The volume also includes a variety of shorter pieces. Fiction includes 'Abijah Witherpee's Retreat,' 'The Sleeping Soldier,' and 'The Two Southern Mothers,' offering glimpses into the human cost of the war and personal struggles. Poetry and essays on topics like currency, printing history, and foreign relations round out the content. The publication serves as both a literary anthology and a platform for political debate, aiming to inform the public on national policy while entertaining with high-quality fiction and verse. It stands as a significant historical document capturing the intellectual fervor of the Union cause.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Politics
• Literature