The Impending Crisis, 1848–1861

David Morris Potter (1910-1971) was an American historian renowned for his studies on the antecedents of the American Civil War, particularly political factors, born in Augusta, Georgia, and educated at Emory University and Yale. His most notable work, The Impending Crisis, 1848–1861, completed and edited posthumously by Don E. Fehrenbacher, won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for History; he also authored influential books like Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis and People of Plenty, served as president of the American Historical Association and Organization of American Historians, and held prestigious positions at Yale and Stanford.