The Renaissance of Slavery
I. Southern Imperialism: Shift in attitude towards slavery--consequences to Jeffersonian democracy. The Black Belt--reasons why cotton became king. Reaction of the South to imperialism. Jefferson Davis--his character 61
II. Winds of Political Doctrine
I. Three streams of thought: Virginia humanitarianism, western individualism, Carolina imperialism. Increasing dominance of the third. Rise of a defensive strategy; appeal to the Constitution 67
II. John C. Calhoun--Realist. His influence--destroyed Jeffersonianism for the new South. A southern Puritan. His early career--a nationalist. The year 1828 a turning-point--recognition of the danger of democracy to slavery. Two lines of defense: states rights, constitutional checks. Amplification of the second by extension of the principle of the veto. Failure of existing checks to protect minorities. Fallacy in the conception of democratic majorities--an obscuring of the economic basis of politics. Doctrine of the concurrent majority. Conception of democracy--an attack on theory of natural rights. His objective a Greek democracy. Likeness to John Adams 69
III. Alexander H. Stephens--Constitutionalist: The man--passion for freedom under law. His localism expressed in states rights. A confirmed liberal--fear of extra-legal powers. His _Constitutional View of the War between the States_. Theory of the terminable nature of compact--doctrine of good will. A political thinker, rather than economic. Position on slavery 82
IV. Francis Lieber--A New-Modeled Federalism: A German liberal influenced by English constitutional practice and the common law. His doctrine of historical evolution. Liberty founded in institutional self-government. A _laissez-faire_ conception of the political state 93
III. The Dream of a Greek Democracy
I. Difficulty of the southern position. A reply to northern industrialism--civilization and labor exploitation. Contrast between wage-slavery and black slavery--certain advantages of the latter. Southern replies to _Uncle Tom’s Cabin_ 99
II. William J. Grayson: _The Hireling and the Slave_ as a southern document. A contrast: the wretchedness of the wage-slave in industrial centers; the contentment of the black slave on the plantation. His attack on Abolitionists 103
IV. Adventures in _Belles-Lettres_
I. Old Charleston: The capital of the planters--aristocratic, Puritan, Victorian. Traditional home of Federalism. Culture old-fashioned. A distinguished society 109
II. William Crafts--Charleston Wit: A southern Robert Treat Paine, seeking to domesticate Boston culture in Charleston. His work 112
III. Hugh Swinton Legaré--Intellectual: A southern Puritan. His career. A legal scholar, interpreting politics in terms of the common law. A lexolater, contemptuous of political philosophers. A juridical romantic. Accepted the economics of _laissez faire_ and capitalism. Pessimistic in regard to the South. Hostile to Nullification and Calhoun. The weakness of slavery 114
IV. William Gilmore Simms: A plebeian snubbed by Charleston, yet loyal to the Charleston parochialisms. A realist hampered by the current romanticisms. The most virile figure of the old South. A rich and generous nature--likeness to Fielding. The picaresque note in his work. Reasons for his exploitation of “blood-pudding.” Lieutenant Porgy. His two major themes: his special frontier compared with Cooper’s; his revolutionary tales. His treatment of the Indian. _The Yemassee_, compared with Cooper. Later life 125