As I did research for this book, it became apparent that extreme consequences are possible when a nation becomes deeply divided. This division occurred in the 1850's and 1860's, and is with the United States again as of 2023. In 1861, civil strife lead to a civil war. President Abraham Lincoln had to deal with a nation at war with itself. This book has unique features. There are links to songs of slaves and soldiers incorporated into the narrative; there is discussion of issues of the present time, which were unresloved by the Civil War; Lincoln's leadership was of profound importance; also discover that:

I teach United States History in a special and unique way. Accompanying myself on guitar, I sing songs of the time period we are discussing. I've included many of these songs in this book.