Download or read book Heroes, Villains & Dupes written by Paul E. Ronan and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2010-06-22 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The existential question facing the antebellum presidents was how to resolve the dichotomy between the freedoms guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence and the protection of slavery established by the Constitution. This work details how each president dealt with this issue. It then ranks the presidents on the sole criterion of their ability to recognize slavery as the critical threat to national unity, and to act decisively to end the evil and peacefully preserve the Union. The book ends with the beginning of the Civil War – the result of presidents’ efforts.