The Impending Crisis of the South
Encyclopedia
The Impending Crisis of the South is a book written by a white male named Hinton Rowan Helper
, which he self-published in 1857. It was a strong attack on slavery as inefficient and a barrier to the economic advancement of whites. The book was widely distributed by Horace Greeley
and other antislavery leaders, much to the vehement anger of the white Southern leaders.
The book condemns the institution of slavery
, but Helper did not take what he considered to be an ineffectually sentimental or moralistic abolitionist approach (as seen in Uncle Tom's Cabin
). Instead, Helper crafted an essentially empirical analysis that appealed to the self-interest of whites, rather than a sense of altruism towards blacks. Helper claimed that slavery actually ended up hurting the Southern economy overall (by preventing economic development and industrialization), and was the main reason why the South had progressed so much less than the North (according to the results of the 1850 census
and other verifiable factual measures) since the late 18th century. Helper spoke on behalf of the Southern whites who were poor or of moderate means — the Plain Folk of the Old South
— who he claimed were oppressed by a small (but politically-dominant) aristocracy of wealthy slave-owners.
Helper's tone was aggressive: "Freesoilers and abolitionists are the only true friends of the South; slaveholders and slave-breeders are downright enemies of their own section. Anti-slavery men are working for the Union and for the good of the whole world; proslavery men are working for the disunion of the States, and for the good of nothing except themselves." (p. 363)
to the speakership of the House. Historians agree it helped sharpen sectional political differences in the period immediately preceding the American Civil War
.
Hinton Rowan Helper
Hinton Rowan Helper was a Southern US critic of slavery during the 1850s. In 1857, he published a book which he dedicated to the "nonslaveholding whites" of the South...
, which he self-published in 1857. It was a strong attack on slavery as inefficient and a barrier to the economic advancement of whites. The book was widely distributed by Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
and other antislavery leaders, much to the vehement anger of the white Southern leaders.
The book condemns the institution of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, but Helper did not take what he considered to be an ineffectually sentimental or moralistic abolitionist approach (as seen in Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
). Instead, Helper crafted an essentially empirical analysis that appealed to the self-interest of whites, rather than a sense of altruism towards blacks. Helper claimed that slavery actually ended up hurting the Southern economy overall (by preventing economic development and industrialization), and was the main reason why the South had progressed so much less than the North (according to the results of the 1850 census
United States Census, 1850
The United States Census of 1850 was the seventh census of the United States. Conducted by the Bureau of the Census on June 1, 1850, it determined the resident population of the United States to be 23,191,876 — an increase of 35.9 percent over the 17,069,453 persons enumerated during the 1840...
and other verifiable factual measures) since the late 18th century. Helper spoke on behalf of the Southern whites who were poor or of moderate means — the Plain Folk of the Old South
Plain Folk of the Old South
The Plain Folk of the Old South refers to the middling class of white farmers in the Southern United States before the Civil War, located between the rich planters and the poor whites. At the time they were often called "yeomen". They owned land and had no slaves or only a few. Most of them were...
— who he claimed were oppressed by a small (but politically-dominant) aristocracy of wealthy slave-owners.
Helper's tone was aggressive: "Freesoilers and abolitionists are the only true friends of the South; slaveholders and slave-breeders are downright enemies of their own section. Anti-slavery men are working for the Union and for the good of the whole world; proslavery men are working for the disunion of the States, and for the good of nothing except themselves." (p. 363)
Political impact
The Compendium version appeared in July 1859; it was an abridgement that kept the statistics but watered down some of the confrontational rhetoric, for use in Republican Party campaigning. This version met with fierce opposition in the South and many places banned it. It widened the gulf between North and South, especially through the protracted December 1859 – January 1860 political struggle about electing John ShermanJohn Sherman (politician)
John Sherman, nicknamed "The Ohio Icicle" , was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Ohio during the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. He served as both Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State and was the principal author of the Sherman Antitrust Act...
to the speakership of the House. Historians agree it helped sharpen sectional political differences in the period immediately preceding the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Primary sources
- 1857 text of The Impending Crisis at the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
- Compendium of the Impending Crisis of the South (1859 version online)