Rare Book Collection-Description of Categories

Description of Categories

Biography
Included in this category are biographies and autobiographies written both before and after the Civil War. While the titles cover a range of subjects, highlights include slave narratives, biographies and autobiographies of women, and an assortment of travel narratives.

Literature
This category includes fiction and poetry written both before and after the Civil War.

Slavery and its Effects
The documents in this categrory reflect the pre-Civil War debate over the ethics of slavery; voices both in favor of and opposed to slavery are represented. In addition, this category includes documents published after the Civil War that address the effects of Reconstruction on the former slaves.

Religion in the South
Included in this category are documents related to Southern Religion both before and after the Civil War. Notably, much of the material here details the history of African-American churches in the South.

The Civil War
Confederate imprints form a large portion of the digitized texts taken from the Rare Book Collection. Due to the large volume, all documents printed between 1861 and 1865 have been further subdivided as follows:

--Business: Documents in this category reflect the wide range of concerns related to business and industry that developed during the Civil War. Although this category includes some documents issued by the Confederacy, most relate to a few specific categories--railroads, currency issues, or the economies of specific cities in the South.
--Government Documents of the Confederate States of America: Within this category are documents produced by the Confederate States of America. The vast majority of these documents are records of the proceedings of the Congress of the Confederate States including both general proceedings and bills passed by either the House or the Senate. Also included in this category are documents issued by specific committees or other government offices including the Beaureau of Conscription, the Treasury, and the War Department. Many of these documents overlap with other categories; however, any document officially issued by the Confederate States of America will be categorized as a Government Document.
--Education: From children's spelling books to publications of the universities of the South, this category includes any documents specifically related to education and the development of children.
--Literature: This category features both fiction and poetry published during the Civil War.
--Medicine: This category features documents related to medicine published during the Civil War.
--Miscellaneous: Featured in this section are documents produced during the Civil War that do not fall within any of the other categories.
--Politics: During the Civil War, one of the most turbulent historical periods in the history of the United States, political opinions covered a tremendous range. This category reflects that diversity. Included here are writings and speeches both in favor of and opposed to abolition. However, there are also a number of documents that address other political issues relevant during the time--the right to secede and the right of the government to draft soldiers. This category also includes a wide variety of political speeches.
--Religion: This category offers a selection of sermons and tracts as well as the proceedings of different denominations within the church in the South.
--Military Life: Most of the documents in this category are publications by religious organizations that directly address Confederate soldiers. Included in the selection are tracts, Bibles, and prayer books. In addition to religious documents, this category includes treatises on the soldiers' duties to their country and accounts of the lives of specific soldiers within the Confederate Army.
--State Documents: This category consists primarily of journals recording the proceedings of the state governments. Particularly well represented are the governments of Georgia, Virginia, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Also included in this category are speeches by governors of the different states, state constitutions, and any other official documents issued by the states.