I have recently been working extensively in the area of the Second
Great Awakening and the Benevolent Empire. I have read the works of
John R. Bodo, Charles C. Cole, Charles I. Foster, Lois W. Banner, etc.,
concerning the debate over the motivation of the reformers, i.e., was
it social control or social betterment. Most of these works stop the
discussion before 1860. My question is, are there any recent or "classic"
works on the organizations that sprang up during the Civil War, on the Union
side, that discuss the motivations of the members of these societies as
well as the philosophical underpinnings of these organizations.
David M. Hovde
dmhorde@velcome.iupui.edu