The Catholics and Mrs. Mary Surratt: How They Responded to the Trial and Execution of the Lincoln Conspirator

by Kenneth J. Zanca

Overview

Professor Kenneth J. Zanca analyzes the responses of mid-nineteenth century Catholics in America to Mrs. Mary Surratt's trial and execution for her part in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. These reactions are placed within various contexts: the Catholic Church during America's Civil War; the wider secular and Protestant culture of the Victorian era; the post-assassination climate of 1865; and Vatican politics. Previous studies of Mrs. Surratt have explored the issues of her guilt or innocence. This work takes a line of inquiry not yet explored by historians, Catholic or otherwise, in that it investigates reactions to her execution through the eyes of contemporary Catholic and Protestant witnesses and commentators.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761840237
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	02/19/2008
Pages:	198
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Kenneth J. Zanca is professor of religious studies at Marymount College, Palos Verdes, California. He received his Ph.D. from Fordham University.

Table of Contents

Part 1 I: Background on Mary Suratt
Chapter 2 Maryland's Catholics and the Funeral of Abraham Lincoln
Chapter 3 Who Was Mary Surratt and How Catholic Was She?
Chapter 4 The Particulars of Her Trial
Chapter 5 Mrs. Suratt, One Hundred Forty-two Years Later
Part 6 II: Responses of Catholics to Mrs. Surratt
Chapter 7 Introduction: Secular and Non-Catholic Reactions to the Execution of Mrs. Surratt
Chapter 8 The Civil War Era Catholic Press on the Trial and Execution of Mary Surratt
Chapter 9 Pope Pius IX and the Fate of the Lincoln Conspirators
Chapter 10 Was John P. Brophy Really Amator Justitiae? Another Possibility Explored
Chapter 11 Ripples and Concluding Remarks
Part 12 Appendices
Part 13 Selected Bibliography by Topics
Part 14 Index
Part 15 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

While the literature on Abraham Lincoln's assassination is extensive, Ken Zanca has filled an important void overlooked by previous authors. Zanca's is an important work that corrects many misconceptions about Mary Surratt's trial and execution as viewed by the Catholic community. This study is long overdue.

Dr. Edward Steers

Kenneth J. Zanca has made a welcome addition to one small but important aspect of what remains a seriously understudied topic: Catholics in the South....Important contribution to social and religious history.

David O'Connelln Catholic Studies

Zanca's book contains some interesting information about the Surratt case.

The Catholic Historical Review

Zanca's book contains some interesting information about the Surratt case.

April 2010 The Catholic Historical Review

Kenneth J. Zanca has made a welcome addition to one small but important aspect of what remains a seriously understudied topic: Catholics in the South....Important contribution to social and religious history.

American Catholic Studies, 2009, Vol 120 No 1 - David O'Connell

Zanca's book contains some interesting information about the Surratt case.

April 2010 Catholic Historical Review