The Militant South, 1800-1861 [Paperback]

John Hope Franklin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2002

In "The Militant South, 1800-1861", John Hope Franklin identifies the factors and causes of the South's festering propensity for aggression that contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Franklin asserts that the South was dominated by militant white men who resorted to violence in the face of social, personal, or political conflict. Fueled by their defense of slavery and a persistent desire to keep the North out of their affairs, Southerners adopted a vicious bellicosity that intensified as war drew nearer. Drawing from Southern newspapers, government archives, memoirs, letters, and firsthand accounts, Franklin masterfully details the sources and consequences of antebellum aggression in the South. First published in 1956, this classic volume is an enduring and impeccably researched contribution to Southern history. This paperback edition features a new preface in which the author discusses controversial responses to the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A pioneer work... [Franklin's] sources are original, his work is thorough and his book makes a fresh and significant contribution to the understanding of the mind of the South." -- C. Vann Woodward, New York Times Book Review "John Hope Franklin has assembled an unrivaled body of data on these diverse manifestations of the fighting spirit in the South, and has presented it in a book which enables the reader better to understand a whole range of behavior." -- Yale Review "An important addition to the historical literature of the Old South." -- J. C. Furnas

About the Author

John Hope Franklin was Professor of History and Chairman of the Department of History at the University of Chicago. He is the author of From Slavery to Freedom, A History of American Negroes (1947; 1956), The Militant South (1956), and Reconstruction after the Civil War (1961). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (March 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252070690
• ISBN-13: 978-0252070693
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Antebellum Bellicosity, December 31, 2004

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Militant South, 1800-1861 (Paperback)

The Militant South attempts an examination of the social and cultural traits in the antebellum South that made the Civil War possible, if not inevitable. If you cling to some variant of the Lost Cause and believe that the war had little or nothing to do with slavery, and was primarily caused by unwarranted Northern aggression against Southern rights, this book is not for you, as it will only raise your blood pressure. Nor do you need to read any further into this review, as neither the review nor the book is likely to alter your belief. All others, I believe, will find Franklin's book a thoughtful and probing examination of a bellicose and militant culture that was nearly as peculiar as the South's peculiar institution of slavery.
Franklin examines the roots of militant culture in the South, from the needs arising from existing along a wild frontier and clashes with natives, to the fact that civil government was rarely very developed there, and individuals had to learn to be sufficient to defend themselves in its absence. He examines in some depth how the presence of slavery encouraged this militancy, providing a source of constant fear (slave revolts), and conditioning the habit of being absolute master of others into the slave-holding class almost from their cradles. He also explores thoroughly the code of personal honor that was unique to the South, and the dueling and deadly fights that grew from that code.
One of the most rewarding sections of Franklin's work is his chapter on the filibusters. These adventurers provided an outlet for the martial feelings of the South while attempting to create a Southern empire where the values and institutions of the South could expand into a greater sphere. The small, private wars launched by filibusters against Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua, financed by those hoping to expand the South's interests are a fascinating and often neglected part of our history.
Franklin is a skillfull writer, and his book is readable as well as informative. In a few chapters, such as the one in which he examines the military schools of the South, his writing becomes repetitive simply from the large number of examples that he gives that are all so similar. But aside from that, his writing is captivating, and draws the reader in. His book ends as abruptly as the War began.
This is a valuable book for those who are interested in how the great national tragedy of the Civil War came upon us. It is by no means the whole story, but presents one piece of the large, complicated, and lethal puzzle that launched the deadliest war in the nation's history.

Theo Logos

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mad dogs and Southerners, August 17, 2005

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Militant South, 1800-1861 (Paperback)

Summary review of how the pre-Civil War old South was a pretty militant, war-obsessed place. Franklin looks at the South's obsession with personal honor, dueling, the rise of military schools, and an endless amount of breastbeating. The author doesn't probe too deeply beneath the surface, and the book has a "introductory" feel to it. Very good as far as it goes, however.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must, must read!, November 28, 2003

By 

Charles C. DiVincenti Jr. "Carlo" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Militant South, 1800-1861 (Paperback)

In this classic, Franklin in near poetic form, outlines a philosophy, and indeed, the psychology of the Southern mindset before the gunplay in Charleston Harbor. An examination of the "frontier" mentality, the code duello, chivalric notions and the plethora of military schools provide evidence that "Northern push" was soon to become "Southern shove". This book can be easily digested by the novice Civil War fan, but may be of particular appeal for those looking at a "behind the scenes" rational for the Late Unpleasantness.