This article engages with the spatial dynamics of reactionary authoritarianism in white urban secession movements around Atlanta. These movements seek to incorporate, annex, de-annex, or otherwise utilize municipal boundary change to carve off exclusive communities from a diverse metro. Such movements have, for almost two decades, traded largely on the austerity logics of neoliberal urbanism and privatized governance; recent secessionist efforts, such as the movement for a so-called Buckhead City, have instead taken on more explicitly reactionary valences. Drawing upon the Frankfurt School—particularly Walter Benjamin’s conceptual development of phantasmagoria —I seek to position the recent Buckhead City movement as an attempt at realizing what the geographer Natalie Koch calls ‘authoritarian univocality’ in service of the reproduction of possessive geographies of whiteness, demonstrating how a critical practice of [un]grounding can help geographers to challenge emergent formations of racial authoritarianism at multiple scales.

Abstract: This issue of the Journal of the Civil War Era departs from our normal work of publishing articles and review essays to ask, "What should historians of crisis do in a moment of crisis?" We invited these essays over the summer of 2025, when many of our historian friends and colleagues especially those who study the Civil War Era—felt disturbed by political developments and uncertain about how to respond. The tools many had previously used to engage in public discussions seemed quaint or less useful in the face of what appeared a threat not just at the margins but to the very existence of the political and cultural order we operate within. The essays published here illuminate scholars wrestling in different ways with their hopes and fears, their expertise and uncertainty, their determination and confusion. They have lifted some of the veils that often cloak us and have exposed themselves—and all of us—as vulnerable at a very vulnerable moment in the country's history. None of them offer a single trick that will save us from the present predicament. All suggest ways of clarifying our thoughts, reckoning with our limitations, and finding meaning in our work.

A Wonderful Career in Crime: Charles Cowlam's Masquerades in the Civil War Era and Gilded Age by Frank W. Garmon Jr. (review)

Abstract: This essay begins as a reflection on the question of whether the US Civil War is truly over, a question appearing with more frequency than usual in the early months of the second administration of President Donald Trump. Rejecting the proposition that that Trump administration represents a continuation of the Civil War waged by the Abraham Lincoln administration in the 1860s, the essay posits that the connection between the 1860s and the current moment might be better made through the concept of a "state of exception," also known as a "state of emergency." National leaders in both periods invoked states of emergency. The more accurate description of governance in these moments, the article contends, is "constitutional dictatorship."

Unleashed, Unbridled, and Unchained: Dogs and Horses During the Civil War and Reconstruction Era

A Continuous State of War: Empire Building and Race Making in the Civil War–Era Gulf South by Maria Angela Diaz (review)

Abstract: This article examines the evolution of the public sphere in the United States from the Civil War era to 2025. It argues that a revolution in mass media, marked by increasing consolidation and targeted manipulation, has enabled recent political shifts, including those taking place in the Trump administration's second term. The article explains how the "bourgeois public sphere," a concept introduced by Jürgen Habermas, could be transformed from a place of open debate into a "consuming public," eventually leading to a blurring of news and advertising; Habermas saw this occur in Germany in the period before World War II. This article argues that this transformation has been taking place since the 1980s, with some similarities to a partial transformation in the 1870s. Finally, the document connects this media transformation to the current attacks on university education, portraying universities as targets in a partisan "diploma divide."

Abstract: This essay interprets the history of the Civil War era in terms of its value for understanding President Trump's attacks on the rule of law and constitutional order. It emphasizes ways of thinking—modesty, humility, respect for the unintended consequences of well-intentioned actions, the necessity of change and adaptation—that were of value to Lincoln and his contemporaries and might benefit us today.

ABSTRACT This article employs critical technocultural discourse analysis (CTDA) to analyze 426 Steam reviews of War of Rights, an American Civil War (ACW) first-person shooter, focusing on how players interpret historical representation, modern politics, and Steam’s gamified review features. Reviews praise the game’s visual detail but often include humorous references to the Confederacy, pseudohistorical and revisionist Lost Cause Myth, and racist “roleplay” disguised as authentic gameplay. Posts criticizing toxicity tend to receive Helpful/Funny designations, thereby denigrating critique as entertainment and elevating divisive commentary. A greater focus on Confederate themes reflects both the game’s suggestive title and potential self-selection by players with revisionist views. Situating these dynamics within broader struggles over identity, cultural memory, and right-wing politics, this study argues that ACW games can function as digital reenactments in which pseudohistorical narratives go unchallenged or condoned. The CTDA also examines Steam’s review features and their role in failing to limit historical revisionism.

ABSTRACT How are Black and Indigenous education in the US related? How are antiBlackness and settler colonialism interconnected? This essay addresses these questions, reexamining the history of one of the only US schools to educate both groups: Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. To explore the contemporary legacies of Hampton, we bring together a race-centered historical methodology and Black and Indigenous studies perspectives. We argue that three enduring legacies – subhumanity, genocide and self-determination – with roots in the school itself frame the present, collective struggle for Black and Indigenous justice in education. This focus provides both historical and current insights with global relevance on Black and Indigenous education in analyzing the post-US Civil War era to the early twentieth century. To conclude, we highlight implications for educational stakeholders related to building interracial coalitions for racial justice and recognizing how settler colonialism and antiBlackness have historically been and continue to be intertwined in contemporarily revealing ways.

Post Civil War American Communes: A Millenarian Utopian Commune Linking Chicago and Nas, Sweden, to Jerusalem

Dr. Jonathan Letterman was a crucial innovator in the fields of combat and emergency medicine during the American Civil War. In a time that saw some of the bloodiest battles being fought on American soil, Dr. Letterman provided essential breakthroughs in military medicine that prevented thousands of soldiers from perishing. Through improvements in military camp sanitation, the establishment of an ambulance corps and the creation of an official evacuation plan and triage system for the wounded, Dr. Letterman's work not only helped save the lives of countless soldiers fighting in the Civil War, but in future wars to come as well. In addition, his service to his men and his country helped champion mandatory healthcare for the wounded soldier, an idea that would be eventually passed into Congressional law as the Letterman Plan. His life and legacy of improving military medicine amidst America's deadliest war are a testament to how he is aptly nicknamed "The Father of Battlefield Medicine".

Abstract We investigate how Reconstruction affected Black socio‐economic advancement after the American Civil War. We use the location of federal troops and Freedmen's bureau offices to indicate more intensive federal enforcement of civil rights. We find that Black people made greater socio‐economic advances where Reconstruction was more rigorously enforced, and that these effects persisted at least until the early twentieth century, although these advances were weaker in cotton‐plantation zones. We suggest a mechanism leading from greater Black political power to higher local property taxes through to higher levels of Black schooling and greater Black socio‐economic achievement.

This essay explores the pivotal role of women during the American Civil War, emphasizing their departure from traditional gender roles and their contributions to both the home front and battlefield. While the conflict is often framed around military strategies and political disputes, the experiences of women, both enslaved and free, reflect a profound shift in societal dynamics. The Civil War provided women with opportunities to defy expectations, from the leadership of Harriet Tubman in guiding enslaved people to freedom, to Clara Barton’s revolutionary role in nursing and battlefield care. The essay also examines how white women like Frances Anne Kemble confronted the institution of slavery, revealing abolitionist sentiments and challenging gendered restrictions. Despite their critical roles, post-war reforms largely neglected women’s rights, focusing instead on racial issues. Nonetheless, the actions of these women laid the groundwork for future suffrage and social justice movements. By examining the varied experiences of women during the Civil War, this essay highlights their essential contributions to the war effort and the broader struggle for freedom and equality.

ABSTRACT: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), established in 1979, emerged as a militant political organization in Assam under the leadership of Paresh Barua, articulating demands rooted in political sovereignty, cultural identity, economic justice, and indigenous self-respect. This research paper critically examines the principal demands of ULFA within the framework of international law, with particular reference to the doctrines of self-determination, state sovereignty, territorial integrity, human rights, and indigenous rights. The study evaluates whether ULFA’s claims find support under contemporary international legal norms or whether they conflict with established principles governing sovereign states. Adopting a doctrinal and analytical methodology, the paper argues that while several grievances raised by ULFA—especially those concerning cultural protection, economic marginalization, and human rights—resonate with international human rights discourse, the demand for unilateral secession lacks legal legitimacy under prevailing international law. The paper further explores the theoretical discourse on secessionist movements and terrorism, assessing whether ULFA’s activities may be categorised as terrorism under international legal definitions. The study concludes that sustainable resolution lies not in armed struggle but in constitutional, democratic, and internationally lawful mechanisms of internal self-determination. This research contributes to academic debate on insurgent movements, indigenous rights, and lawful alternatives to secession within democratic states.

A Continuous State of War: Empire Building and Race Making in the Civil War-Era Gulf South by Maria Angela Diaz (review)

本研究旨在阐述马克思和恩格斯关于美国内战相关论述的背景，系统梳理了蕴含其中的创新观点，揭示其对研究当代战争的重要启示。通过文献资料法和抽象演绎法，结合对马克思恩格斯相关经典论述的详细解析发现，美国内战是加剧英国国内劳资斗争的催化剂，为完善马克思主义政治经济学提供了窗口，为丰富马克思主义军事理论奠定了基础。马克思恩格斯创造性地以政治经济学批判视角深挖内战爆发根源，以对战争动因性质分析探寻北方制胜机理，以对资产阶级特性判断洞察战争发展趋势。在此基础上，本研究提出了对研究当代战争提供了重要启示，包括对战争性质进行判断仍是考察现代战争进程的根基，科技主导的经济因素仍是影响现代战争胜负的关键，战争结局最终取决于战争双方军事力量的博弈等，以推动对马克思主义军事理论的阐述不断完善。这些研究内容对于深化理解马克思恩格斯关于美国内战的论述具有重要的理论意义。

Abstract While secessionist movements have surged globally over the past century, the prevailing structuralist and institutionalist approaches inadequately capture the dynamics of secessionism. We argue that lost autonomy triggers, sudden transformative events symbolizing a loss of autonomy for ethnic minorities, can be profoundly disruptive, eliciting pro-secessionist backlashes. Despite their significance, the causal impact of such triggering events remains underexplored. We investigate two typical cases: the 1992 Great Bank Affair in the Faroe Islands and the 2010 Spanish Constitutional Court decision to reform Catalonia’s autonomy statute. Using synthetic control models, we demonstrate that these triggering events were essential for the subsequent secessionist waves, which would not have occurred otherwise. Qualitative process tracing analyses further support our findings, indicating that these events were perceived as highly disruptive, causing significant shifts in public opinion and prompting political responses. Our findings underscore the importance of recognizing lost autonomy triggers as proximate causes of secessionism.

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in reshaping the black identity before and after the American Civil War due to color discrimination, ideological and cultural beliefs between the white and the black people. In this research, reshaping the black identity from feminist critical discourse analysis, a contemporary sub-discipline of linguistics, presents a powerful tool in shaping and reshaping these beliefs in the most current trends in the language field and locates it among the available literature. The contribution of feminist critical discourse analysis has received little attention on black identity. The principal objective of this research is to investigate the development and transformation of blacks into literate human beings within Harper's Lola Leory and how black women revolted to have their human rights equal to those of white women. This research provides a novel approach to the quantity and quality of the research results using a mixed method. An analytical and eclectic framework has been used: Woda and Reisigl's discourse historical approach (2015) and Lazar's (2014) feminist critical discourse analysis. The results have indicated that black people receive degrading treatment and poor living facilities in comparison with white people. However, the former takes action at the end and becomes equal, free, and literate like the latter. The feminist movement has also achieved its objectives in liberating the novel's protagonist, as a clear indication of the liberation of all black women. The present results highlight the detrimental effects that ideology and ethnicity play a pivotal role in reshaping the lives of people, and especially have a strong influence on the 'Others.'

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought between 1 and 3 July 1863, occupies a significant place in United States history and memory. Beginning within six weeks after the battle’s conclusion, much of the former battlefield landscape has been, and continues to be, preserved through careful deliberation. This article argues that those preservation efforts have simultaneously frozen the landscape in time while changing it as part of an industry of memory. However, the intentionality of those efforts has, until very recently, removed the presence and stories of African Americans from the landscape, despite the historical reality that African Americans are central to why there was an American Civil War and a battle at Gettysburg. This article concludes by describing incipient efforts, and some challenges to those efforts, to include those stories on the landscape.