Rachel Shelden and Amy Murrell Taylor: Washington Brotherhood and Embattled Freedom

History Tavern Podcast

Recorded at the 2019 Civil War Institute Summer Conference on the campus of Gettysburg college, this episode features Dr. Rachel Shelden and Dr. Amy Murrell Taylor. Rachel Sheldon talked about her book Washington Brotherhood: Politics, Social Life, and the Coming of the Civil War. Shelden's book focuses on the personal relationships forged by Washington politicians during the tumultuous 1850s. While much of the country remained divided over slavery, elected officials, insulated by the fraternity-like atmosphere of Congress, failed to recognize the gravity of the secession crisis. Amy Murrell Taylor discussed her brand new book Embattled Freedom: Journeys through the Civil War's Slave Refugee Camps. Taylor's book explores the long struggle for freedom many enslaved people faced during the Civil War and the "massive dislocation" the war caused.