Civic Wars: Democracy and Public Life in the American City During the Nineteenth Century

A deft blend of historical and political scholarship, Civic Wars examines how use of urban space shaped democracy during the 19th century, particularly in the decades surrounding the Civil War. Ryan (Women in Public) finds a ""tendency to create, even delight in"" political and ethnic difference in New York, San Francisco and New Orleans in the pre-war years, when use of public grounds for social gatherings, parades and political meetings grew, and local governments became more participatory. But America's cities were soon bloody battlegrounds. Ethnic and racial battles that presaged and paralleled the war brought vigilantism, then huge police forces, with business interests and ""taxpayers' committees,"" that seized local power in the name of order and clean government. It was this environment, Ryan suggests, that gave rise to a calculated and ultimately debilitating rhetoric of mistrust in politicians. Echoing points made in such books as Noel Ignatiev's How the Irish Became White, Ryan argues that rising class awareness and reactionary populism followed the war, as Irish, Italians and Germans ""became white,"" basing demands for social representation on antagonism toward Chinese and African Americans. Thoughtfully exploring the roots of important urban and racial issues, Ryan's book is an important addition to the education of anyone interested in American public life. (June)