James Dunwoody Brownson DeBow
Encyclopedia
James Dunwoody Brownson DeBow (1820 – February 27, 1867) was an American publisher and statistician
, best known for his influential magazine
DeBow's Review
, who also served as head of the U.S. Census from 1853-1857.
A resident of New Orleans, DeBow used his magazine to advocate the expansion of southern agriculture
and commerce
so that the southern economy could become independent of the North
. He warned constantly of the South's "colonial
" relationship with the North, one in which the South was at a distinct disadvantage.
DeBow became nationally known for an editorial he penned about the status of the territory obtained from the Mexican Cession
of 1848. He claimed that the federal Union could collapse once the North's number of representatives exceeded those of the southern states in the United States House of Representatives
. Moreover, one additional free state at the time would have tipped the balance in the United States Senate
to the North, which had the large majority of the population.
DeBow hence proposed a legislative compromise to guarantee southern rights in a northern-majority Union. U.S. Senator Henry Clay
of Kentucky
took up the cause and cemented together a five-part Compromise of 1850
, which permitted the admission of California
into the Union as a free state. However, southerners were given a concession: a stronger Fugitive Slave Law contrary to the Constitution
. DeBow later opposed the fugitive slave measure on the grounds that runaway slaves could likely gain freedom in the North from sympathetic anti-slavery juries
for reasons including that slavery was unconstitutional and/or that no laws authorized slavery.
On January 2, 1861, DeBow joined fellow Fire-Eater
Lieutenant Governor
H.M. Hyams at the Orleans Theatre in urging immediate southern secession
from the Union. Some of the speeches were delivered in French
because of the Creole
members of the audience. Voters went to the polls five days later to choose delegates to a state convention to consider secession. The secessionists prevailed by an eight-to-five margin. Two days after that election, Louisiana proceeded to seize the federal arsenal at Baton Rouge
.
Among authors who contributed to DeBow's Review was the southern surgeon and medical writer Samuel A. Cartwright
, an authority on the establishment of sanitary conditions and also an advocate of the pro-slavery argument.
In 1866, he became the first president of the proposed Tennessee and Pacific Railroad
, a business venture that he would not live to see fulfilled. Less than a year later, DeBow died of peritonitis
, which he contracted on a trip to visit his brother in New Jersey
.
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
, best known for his influential magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
DeBow's Review
DeBow's Review
DeBow's Review was a widely circulated magazine of "agricultural, commercial, and industrial progress and resource" in the American South during the upper middle of the 19th century, from 1846 until 1884. It bore the name of its first editor, James Dunwoody Brownson DeBow DeBow's Review was a...
, who also served as head of the U.S. Census from 1853-1857.
A resident of New Orleans, DeBow used his magazine to advocate the expansion of southern agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
so that the southern economy could become independent of the North
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
. He warned constantly of the South's "colonial
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
" relationship with the North, one in which the South was at a distinct disadvantage.
DeBow became nationally known for an editorial he penned about the status of the territory obtained from the Mexican Cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of 1848. He claimed that the federal Union could collapse once the North's number of representatives exceeded those of the southern states in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Moreover, one additional free state at the time would have tipped the balance in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
to the North, which had the large majority of the population.
DeBow hence proposed a legislative compromise to guarantee southern rights in a northern-majority Union. U.S. Senator Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
took up the cause and cemented together a five-part Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
, which permitted the admission of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
into the Union as a free state. However, southerners were given a concession: a stronger Fugitive Slave Law contrary to the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. DeBow later opposed the fugitive slave measure on the grounds that runaway slaves could likely gain freedom in the North from sympathetic anti-slavery juries
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
for reasons including that slavery was unconstitutional and/or that no laws authorized slavery.
On January 2, 1861, DeBow joined fellow Fire-Eater
Fire-Eater
Fire-Eater may refer to:* Fire eater, a performer who places flaming objects into their mouth and extinguishes them.* Fire-Eaters pro-slavery politicians who pushed for secession from the United States of America* An episode of the Dragon Ball anime....
Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
H.M. Hyams at the Orleans Theatre in urging immediate southern secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the Union. Some of the speeches were delivered in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
because of the Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
members of the audience. Voters went to the polls five days later to choose delegates to a state convention to consider secession. The secessionists prevailed by an eight-to-five margin. Two days after that election, Louisiana proceeded to seize the federal arsenal at Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
.
Among authors who contributed to DeBow's Review was the southern surgeon and medical writer Samuel A. Cartwright
Samuel A. Cartwright
Samuel Adolphus Cartwright was a physician who practiced in Mississippi and Louisiana in the antebellum United States. During the American Civil War he joined the Confederate States of America and was assigned the responsibility of improving sanitary conditions in the camps about Vicksburg,...
, an authority on the establishment of sanitary conditions and also an advocate of the pro-slavery argument.
In 1866, he became the first president of the proposed Tennessee and Pacific Railroad
Tennessee and Pacific Railroad
The Tennessee and Pacific Railroad was a 19th-century American company that operated a rail line from Lebanon, Tennessee, to Nashville, Tennessee.The state of Tennessee chartered the railroad on May 24, 1866...
, a business venture that he would not live to see fulfilled. Less than a year later, DeBow died of peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
, which he contracted on a trip to visit his brother in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Further reading
- Crider, Jonathan B., “De Bow’s Revolution: The Memory of the American Revolution in the Politics of the Sectional Crisis, 1850–1861,” American Nineteenth Century History 10 (Sept. 2009), 317–32.