"A stage with curtains drawn": New England college students and their world -- "The great people of the future": American civilization and national character -- To act like men: building character in the new Brahmins -- "To put those theories into practice": secession and the crisis of character -- Marching into "rebeldom": the failure of southern character -- The character to command -- Character triumphant: reconstruction, reform, and reconciliation -- Epilogue.
