Lc Classification Number
E458.8.K44 2013
Reviews
Scholars have been starved for a sound, book-length study that would tie the loose ends together about the Knights of the Golden Circle, differentiate between myth and substance, and convincingly establish this shadowy organization's place in American history. David C. Keehn's book ends the drought. Within a chronologically structured . . . and clearly written narrative, Keehn's imaginative and logical detective work recovers the Knights of the Golden Circle's history from its formative moments as a southern proslavery imperialist organization in the 1850s through its morphing into secessionist cells until its fading away approximately midway through the American Civil War., The Knights of the Golden Circle operated on the edges of American political life before the Civil War, a conspiratorial force devoted to the dream of creating a slaveholding empire across the Americas. Their dark maneuverings, as David C. Keehn brilliantly shows, was not the isolated and forgettable work of extremists. They established an organizational network throughout the South, channeling the sectional rage of southern men into a political crusade for secession. To tell the story of the Knights, Keehn has delved into unexplored document collections to discover a powerful story about a group of men who wanted to remain obscure in the historical record, who wanted their actions to appear mystical and remote, and who ultimately did not want their story told.
Copyright Date
2013
Topic
Freemasonry & Secret Societies, History & Theory, United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), United States / State & Local / South (Al, Ar, Fl, Ga, Ky, La, ms, Nc, SC, Tn, VA, WV)
Lccn
2012-027974
Dewey Decimal
973.7/13
Intended Audience
Scholarly & Professional
Dewey Edition
23
Illustrated
Yes
Genre
History, Social Science, Political Science
