The peculiar democracy
Subtitle: Southern democrats in peace and Civil War
By: Wallace Hettle.
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Published: 2001
Place of publication: Athens
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
Subjects: Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845 -- Influence.; Democratic Party (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century.; Politicians -- Southern States -- History -- 19th century.; Political culture -- Southern States -- History -- 19th century.; Sectionalism (United States) -- History -- 19th century.; Secession -- Southern States.; Southern States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1865.
Description: "The Peculiar Democracy analyzes antebellum politics in terms of the connections between slavery, manhood, and the legacies of Jefferson and Jackson. It then looks at the secession crisis through the anxieties felt by Democratic politicians who claimed concern for the interests of both slaveholders and nonslaveholders.

At the heart of the book is a collective biography of five individuals whose stories highlight the limitations of democratic political culture in a society dominated by the "peculiar institution." Through narratives informed by recent scholarship on gender, honor, class, and the law, Hettle profiles South Carolina's Francis W. Pickens, Georgia's Joseph Brown, Alabama's Jeremiah Clemens, Virginia's John Rutherfoord, and Mississippi's Jefferson Davis.".

"The Civil War stories presented in The Peculiar Democracy illuminate the political and sometimes personal tragedy of men torn between a political culture based on egalitarian rhetoric and the wartime imperatives to defend slavery."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-233) and index.