author
Carl Schurz
1829–1906
A revolutionary in Europe and a reformer in America, he lived one of the most dramatic public lives of the 19th century. Soldier, senator, cabinet secretary, journalist, and memoirist, he brought restless energy and sharp conviction to every role he took on.
1 Audiobook
Report on the Condition of the South
by Carl Schurz
About the author
Born in 1829 in Liblar, near Cologne, Carl Schurz first came to prominence in the failed revolutions of 1848 in the German states. After the uprising collapsed, he fled Europe and eventually settled in the United States, where he became a powerful voice among German American immigrants and an eloquent opponent of slavery.
During the American Civil War, Schurz served as a Union general. He later represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate and went on to serve as Secretary of the Interior under President Rutherford B. Hayes. Across politics and public life, he built a reputation as a forceful speaker and a determined advocate of reform.
Schurz also worked as a journalist and remained active in civil service reform for many years. His memoirs, published as Reminiscences of Carl Schurz, helped preserve the story of a man whose life linked the democratic upheavals of Europe with the turbulent growth of the United States in the 19th century.