The Field of Blood

Archival Summary & Scope

Historian Joanne B. Freeman's *The Field of Blood* uncovers the previously untold story of pervasive physical violence in the U.S. Congress, a brutal reality that profoundly shaped American democracy and hastened the Civil War. Before the conflict, legislative sessions were rife with mortal threats, canings, flipped desks, all-out brawls, and even duels, often fueled by the issue of slavery. Freeman brings this rough antebellum Congress to vivid life, detailing how these acts of intimidation and mayhem heightened North-South tensions and revealing new perspectives on figures like John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. The result is a fresh understanding of the Union on the brink of its greatest peril.

Awards: *New York Times* Notable Book; NPR Best Book; Smithsonian Best History Book.
"One of the best history books I've read in the last few years." ―Chris Hayes