Daniel Wordsworth
DPhil Student - University College
daniel.wordsworth@univ.ox.ac.uk
Research Topic: A First Age of Reconstruction? Visions of a Reconstituted North America during the Secession Winter
Supervisors: Adam Smith and Grace Mallon
My research looks at the Secession Winter, the period of political crisis between Lincoln's election in November 1860 and the full-scale outbreak of Civil War in April 1861 in which the American Union dissolved and the Southern Confederacy was formed. I look at this period as one of intense political experimentation, analysing how the shock of disunion led to unrealised visions of an amendment constitution and redrawn geopolitical boundaries in North America. My project rests at the intersection of political and constitutional history, looking at how different Americans' visions of an alternate political future will illuminate the diverse currents of political thought, culture and identity at this key point in US history.
Prizes and Funding
My studies are generously supported by the Oxford-Edward Orsborn Graduate Scholarship in American History at University College.
