How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861
May 1, 2024
A noted historian demonstrates how the vastly different cultures, attitudes, and mores of Massachusetts and South Carolina brought about secession and war. Former journalist and editor Merry, author of President McKinley and A Country of Vast Designs, presents a sweeping, invaluable history of the long prelude to the Civil War, examining the wildly disparate political, economic, and social development of Massachusetts and South Carolina--the two states that most exemplified what would become irreconcilable differences over slavery--and the words and deeds of their representatives who failed to come to a resolution and prevent the onset of war. The author capably compares the austere, judgmental Puritanism of the agriculture and merchant classes of early Massachusetts with the Anglicans who bought huge tracts of land to boost their proprietary colonies and imported the culture of the sugar plantations of Barbados and the West Indies. Merry also contrasts the two states as embodied by their famed representatives, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and John Calhoun of South Carolina, who, along with Henry Clay, formed the "so-called Great Triumvirate." Always maintaining a readable style, the author skillfully analyzes the complex political and social motivations and influences of what Calhoun called "the great battle" to resolve the impasse between the regions. As in his previous acclaimed books, Merry employs consistently thorough and crisp prose, combining his best attributes as a journalist and historian. The author's deft organization of the narrative and inclusion of generous excerpts of debates and speeches from a variety of sources--great figures from Massachusetts, South Carolina, and elsewhere, in addition to noted abolitionists and proslavery journalists and orators of the era--is extraordinarily useful to readers no matter their level of familiarity with this particular period of American history. An essential volume for serious students of U.S. history, especially Civil War buffs.
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Starred review from June 28, 2024
After the deaths of South Carolina's John C. Calhoun (1782-1850) and Massachusetts's Daniel Webster (1782-1852), enslavement opinions hardened in both states. Historian/journalist Merry (President McKinley: Architect of the American Century) notes these differences originated during the colonies' founding. His book shows that in Massachusetts, a Puritan ethic informed the state's opposition to enslavement and calls for abolition. South Carolina pursued high profits from enslaved labor and intensive crops. As old guard unionist politicians receded from their professional lives, their influence in tamping down calls for resistance to enslavement and secession became less effective. Fiery newspaper editors decried enslavement and the system that supported it in increasingly forceful tones. Meanwhile, fiery South Carolina politicians--Robert Barnwell Rhett, James Henry Hammond, and more--advocated for secession to protect their investments in enslavement. Frequently these two views came into open conflict, most notably in 1856 when South Carolina enslavement proponent Rep. Preston Brooks used a walking cane to brutally attack Massachusetts abolitionist Charles Sumner in the U.S. Senate chamber. VERDICT Based on extensive primary research, this detailed case study will magnetize readers interested in U.S. Civil War history and politics.--Chad E. Statler
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