close
The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War Audiobook, by Joanne B. Freeman Play Audiobook Sample

The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War Audiobook

The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War Audiobook, by Joanne B. Freeman Play Audiobook Sample
FlexPass™ Price: $18.95
$9.95 for new members!
(Includes UNLIMITED podcast listening)
  • Love your audiobook or we'll exchange it
  • No credits to manage, just big savings
  • Unlimited podcast listening
Add to Cart
$9.95/m - cancel anytime - 
learn more
OR
Regular Price: $26.99 Add to Cart
Read By: Joanne B. Freeman Publisher: Macmillan Audio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 7.50 hours at 1.5x Speed 5.63 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: September 2018 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781427293411

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

12

Longest Chapter Length:

134:53 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

02:16 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

56:35 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

1

Publisher Description

This program is read by the author. "One of the best history books I've read in the last few years." —Chris Hayes The Field of Blood recounts the previously untold story of the violence in Congress that helped spark the Civil War. Historian Joanne B. Freeman recovers the long-lost story of physical violence on the floor of the U.S. Congress. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources, she shows that the Capitol was rife with conflict in the decades before the Civil War. Legislative sessions were often punctuated by mortal threats, canings, flipped desks, and all-out slugfests. When debate broke down, congressmen drew pistols and waved Bowie knives. One representative even killed another in a duel. Many were beaten and bullied in an attempt to intimidate them into compliance, particularly on the issue of slavery. These fights didn’t happen in a vacuum. Freeman’s dramatic accounts of brawls and thrashings tell a larger story of how fisticuffs and journalism, and the powerful emotions they elicited, raised tensions between North and South and led toward war. In the process, she brings the antebellum Congress to life, revealing its rough realities—the feel, sense, and sound of it—as well as its nation-shaping import. Funny, tragic, and rivetingly told, The Field of Blood offers a front-row view of congressional mayhem and sheds new light on the careers of John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and other luminaries, as well as introducing a host of lesser-known but no less fascinating men. The result is a fresh understanding of the workings of American democracy and the bonds of Union on the eve of their greatest peril. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ONE OF SMITHSONIAN'S BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Download and start listening now!

“Absorbing, scrupulously researched…Freeman uncovers the brawls, stabbings, pummelings, and duel threats that occurred among United States congressmen during the three decades just before the Civil War.”

— New York Times Book Review

Quotes

  • “Fascinating…Freeman’s book goes far toward explaining why there was a Civil War.”

    — Wall Street Journal

Awards

  • A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
  • Among longlisted titles for New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, 2018
  • Among longlisted titles for NPR Best Book of the Year, 2018
  • Among longlisted titles for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best Books of the Year, 2018
  • Among longlisted titles for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Guide to the 100 Best Books of the Year, 2018

The Field of Blood Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 (4.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 (4.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 (4.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Story Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    — MJ, 1/14/2023

About Joanne B. Freeman

Joanne B. Freeman, a professor of history and American studies at Yale University, is a leading authority on early national politics and political culture. She is the author of the award-winning Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic and editor of The Essential Hamilton and Alexander Hamilton: Writings. She is a cohost of the popular history podcast BackStory.