In 1860 the United States was the sole major democracy in a world otherwise governed by monarchs and aristocracies. Written to explore the resources available to the Federals and the Confederates at the start of the Civil War, Four Score and Four depicts a young, vibrant and often turbulent nation on the brink of its then gravest crisis. Four Score and Four steps outside the conventional approach to history by looking beyond the monumental to explore the merely significant as well as the mundane. In doing so, it recounts the past in a manner enriched by a wider appreciation of the period. The discussion places political events and military resources alongside the less often considered social, cultural, economic, and technological circumstances of the time. As a result, Four Score and Four paints a panoramic portrait of 1860 America, depicting the dynamic whole of the country and the daily lives of its people.