Conversation with Heather Cox Richardson, How the South Won the Civil War

This month, the Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is diving into How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson! The live conversation between Jeffrey Sachs and Heather Cox Richardson will provide a fresh examination of the Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America. While the North prevailed in the Civil War, ending slavery and giving the country a "new birth of freedom," Heather Cox Richardson argues in this provocative work that democracy's blood-soaked victory was ephemeral. The system that had sustained the defeated South moved westward and there established a foothold. It was a natural fit. Settlers from the East had for decades been pushing into the West, where the seizure of Mexican lands at the end of the Mexican-American War and treatment of Native Americans cemented racial hierarchies. The South and West equally depended on extractive industries-cotton in the former and mining, cattle, and oil in the latter-giving rise a new birth of white male oligarchy, despite the guarantees provided by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and the economic opportunities afforded by expansion. To reveal why this happened, How the South Won the Civil War traces the story of the American paradox, the competing claims of equality and subordination woven into the nation's fabric and identity. Richardson's searing book seizes upon the soul of the country and its ongoing struggle to provide equal opportunity to all. Debunking the myth that the Civil War released the nation from the grip of oligarchy, expunging the sins of the Founding, it reveals how and why the Old South not only survived in the West, but thrived. This video is licensed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license. ➡️ Sign up for the newsletter: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Website: bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎉 Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3QbvwuL Listen on Spotify Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3W4FjXi 📣 Leave a rating and tell us what you thought about this episode! --- About the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN): The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society. Connect with us: unsdsn.org twitter.com/UNSDSN facebook.com/UNSDSN