The Militant South, 1800-1861

I found this book to be nothing more of less than a great history of facts. Franklin does a fine job of explaining the Southern philosphy without influencing the reader to "choose sides." The North/South debate is very difficult to talk about without giving one's personal opinion, but Franklin did a great job of leaving his personal opinion out of the text. I chose to read this book because I am a Southern girl, who has been doing a lot of soul searching and trying to understand why I am who I am. Books like this give me great insight into my ancestors, who they were, and why they believed as they did, and passed down the beliefs that they cherished. After reading this book, I am still proud to be Southern, even if my philosophy isn't exactly as my ancestors.

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.

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

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.