Good afternoon,
I would like to ask if any of you could recommend a good book dealing with the social class during / after the Civil War? What I need is to find out what people used to be like before the war, during the war and after it ended, what changed, especially considering the social classes, what impacts the war had, how the people lived, what important changes and events affecting the people and social classes came after the war, etc.
Any help with finding books addressing these topics would be much appreciated. Thank you.
One excellent book is Sven Beckert's The Moneyed Metropolis: New York City and the Consolidation of the American Bourgeosie, 1850-1896, which traces the development of the American upper classes, specifically in their New York iteration, during the second half of the twentieth century. It specifically addresses how the war and other factors shaped the development of an industrial bourgeoise during this period. It does not examine the lower classes specifically, except during moments when lower-class agitation threatened the power and prestige of the rising upper classes. It should give you a good start, and I bet his notes and bibliography will provide avenues for further exploration.
Enjoy!
Any other ideas? Maybe something about evolution of American society would suffice.