Development of Southern Sectionalism, 1819-1848

A History of the South #5

by Charles S. Sydnor

This book is Volume V of A History of the South, a ten-volume series designed to present a thoroughly balanced history of all the complex aspects of the South’s culture from 1607 to the present. Like its companion volumes, The Development of Southern Sectionalism was written by an outstanding student of Southern history.

What caused the South’s growing self-consciousness as a region? Professor Sydnor here deals with two major aspects of the problem. One is the internal development of the South. Sydnor’s analysis of local and state governments provides the clue to the mainsprings of political action, and he studies the motives behind programs for economic and humanitarian reform, the trends in education, salve trading, the Indian removal, and westward expansion. The other more somber theme is the deterioration of the South’s relationship to the nation: the loss of its position of political leadership, its attempts to invent political defenses for its minority position, and the gradual substitution of a sectional for a national patriotism.

In this period were laid the foundations for the fateful conflict that was to follow. Sydnor’s thoughtful study suggests fresh interpretations for the Missouri Compromise, the origins and significance of nullification; and his deep insight into the development of sectionalism during the 1820s makes this volume indispensable to an understanding of the South.

Genres: History

432 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1948

About the author

The son of a Presbyterian pastor, Charles Sackett Sydnor was the oldest of five children. After graduating from Hampden-Sydney College, he received a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He taught history and political science at Hampden-Sydney before accepting an offer to become chair of the history department at the University of Mississippi in 1925. In 1936, he became an associate professor of history at Duke University, where he was eventually named the James B. Duke Professor.

Reviews

[OutboardCap · Rating 3 out of 5]

The broad scope of the book means that anyone already intimately familiar with the period won't learn anything new, but for newcomers it serves as an decent if fleeting history. The books glosses over everything it touches. The book is useful for its review because it lays out the implications of Southern sectionalism being generated from the top as a pragmatic political strategy, even if it tapped into something at the lower level and evolved into an emotional response later. Whether or not you should read it depends on how intensive your knowledge of the period is and to a lesser degree whether or not framing the issue from Calhoun's eyes is useful for your understanding.


This volume, the first of the series I have read, provides an interesting framing of the period by filtering the national questions of the day through the lens of Southern policymakers and state officials.

Syndor gently suggests the insurgent Southern nationalism which came later was created from the top as a maximalist strategy in response to the South's political position becoming precarious during the 1820s. It suggests that Southern sectionalism could have been nipped in the bud if Northern religious trends and the Southern-Northwestern alliance held.

Readers should expect a careful, but not meticulous, recounting of the Mass Democracy in the South, the Bank wars as viewed from the South (along with a fascinating review of Southern credit structures), as well as recounting the legal battles between the states and the Federal government over tariffs and Indians.

[John E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but not profound, history of the American South in the period indicated. Basically believes that the sectionalism of the South was caused by the rapid changes in the North during the period and the stagnation/stability/love-of-the-old-ways of the South. The intellectual response of the South led to the creation of a mythical "Golden Age" of the antebellum period. Should be read with later scholarship to give a more accurate picture of the period.