Description
In this fresh study Brian Schoen views the Deep South and its cotton industry from a global perspective, revisiting old assumptions and providing new insights into the region, the political history of the United States, and the causes of the Civil War. Schoen takes a unique and broad approach. Rather than seeing the Deep South and its planters as isolated from larger intellectual, economic, and political developments, he places the region firmly within them. In doing so, he demonstrates that the region's prominence within the modern world-and not its opposition to it-indelibly shaped Southern history. The place of "King Cotton" in the sectional thinking and budding nationalism of the Lower South seems obvious enough, but Schoen reexamines the ever-shifting landscape of international trade from the 1780s through the eve of the Civil War. He argues that the Southern cotton trade was essential to the European economy, seemingly worth any price for Europeans to protect and maintain, and something to defend aggressively in the halls of Congress. This powerful association gave the Deep South the confidence to ultimately secede from the Union. By integrating the history of the region with global events, Schoen reveals how white farmers, planters, and merchants created a "Cotton South," preserved its profitability for many years, and ensured its dominance in the international raw cotton markets. The story he tells reveals the opportunities and costs of cotton production for the Lower South and the United States.
A complex portrayal of southern cotton planters that will revise the way many scholars interpret the political economy of slavery. -- John Majewski, University of California, Santa Barbara In this bold new interpretation of the contours of southern political economy between the Constitution and the Civil War, Brian Schoen skillfully embeds U.S. history in its proper international context. The Fragile Fabric of Union marks the impressive debut of an exceptional young historian. -- Peter A. Coclanis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill This fascinating and deeply researched book challenges enduring myths about the Cotton South and the roots of the Civil War. From the vantage point of global political economy, it sheds new light on how American slaveholders aggressively pursued commercial power. -- Charles Postel, Bancroft prize-winning author of The Populist Vision
About the Author
Brian Schoen is an associate professor of history at Ohio University.
Reviews
Schoen has written an immensely important history of southern political economy, one that is destined to be prominent in future studies of the Old South. -- James L. Huston Civil War Book Review 2010 Schoen's chronological approach in five chapter develops his arguments and does a masterful job of keeping the focus on cotton, its politics, its exploitation of slaves, and ultimately the self-delusions of the cotton states vis-a-vis the world... An excellent book on all counts. Highly recommended. Choice 2010 A sophisticated, nuanced analysis of elite political-economic rhetoric in the antebellum South. -- Lawrence A. Peskin North Carolina Historical Review 2010 In sure-footed fashion, Brian Schoen guides the reader through overlooked issues in the oft-told account of southern secession. -- Frank J. Byrne Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 2010 Students of the causes of the Civil War should read The Fragile Fabric of Union. It is well written and extensively documented... The author brings the issues to life by illustrating how economic self interested colored the views of the South to the point that it was willing to sunder the Union and go to war. -- Stephen Donnelly Historical Journal of Massachusetts 2010 I found myself reading this book in light of current events. Schoen does a good job pointing out that legislative victors may rue their triumph, while losers may inadvertently reap benefits from loathed legislation... The book is clearly written. -- David G. Surdam Journal of Economic History 2010 Impressive... Adds an intriguing new dimension to ongoing debates about the nature of southern economic development, what motivated southern states to secede, why they seceded when they did, and ultimately what caused the Civil War. -- Beth English American Historical Review 2010 In this provocative book, he forces historians who have not done so already to discount 'Lost Cause' lore and pay greater attention to southerners who thought they could use their monopoly in raw cotton as leverage to advance the interests of their region in the larger world. -- Glenn C. Altschuler Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2010 An important contribution to the reinterpretation of plantation slavery and the origins of the U.S. Civil War... A lucidly written, richly researched, and convincing analysis of the global forces that shaped the politics of the southern slaveholders. -- Charles Post Journal of American History There is much to admire in Brian Schoen's ambitious new book... A remarkable scholarly debut that represents one of the most important studies of 'why the South fought' to be released in over a generation. -- Scott P. Marler Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 2009 Schoen's readable prose deserves a wide audience. His explanations of tariffs and other economic issues are clear, and he has admirable command of a wide range of political and economic subjects (both domestically and in foreign relations). This book will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any scholar of the antebellum era. -- Aaron W. Marrs Technology and Culture 2011 Schoen extends the transatlantic dimensions of this era; just as the politics of slavery were shaped by developments in the Caribbean and Europe, so too did the political economy of cotton stretch throughout the Atlantic world. This book should be read by all those interested in broadening their understanding of both the Atlantic world of the nineteenth century and the coming of the American Civil War. -- Ed Rugemer H-CivWar, H-Net Reviews Schoen challenges previous studies and underscores the impact of external global economics as a primary cause of the Civil War. This contention is likely to stir controversy and healthy debate. -- Michael Russert Civil War News 2010 Schoen's Fragile Fabric commendably sheds renewed light on the conflict's origins at the local, sectional, and transatlantic level. -- Marc-William Palen Southern Historian 2011
Awards
Winner of Southern Historical Association Bennett H. Wall Award 2010 (United States).
Book Information
ISBN 9781421404042
Author Brian D. Schoen
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm
A complex portrayal of southern cotton planters that will revise the way many scholars interpret the political economy of slavery. -- John Majewski, University of California, Santa Barbara In this bold new interpretation of the contours of southern political economy between the Constitution and the Civil War, Brian Schoen skillfully embeds U.S. history in its proper international context. The Fragile Fabric of Union marks the impressive debut of an exceptional young historian. -- Peter A. Coclanis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill This fascinating and deeply researched book challenges enduring myths about the Cotton South and the roots of the Civil War. From the vantage point of global political economy, it sheds new light on how American slaveholders aggressively pursued commercial power. -- Charles Postel, Bancroft prize-winning author of The Populist Vision
About the Author
Brian Schoen is an associate professor of history at Ohio University.
Reviews
Schoen has written an immensely important history of southern political economy, one that is destined to be prominent in future studies of the Old South. -- James L. Huston Civil War Book Review 2010 Schoen's chronological approach in five chapter develops his arguments and does a masterful job of keeping the focus on cotton, its politics, its exploitation of slaves, and ultimately the self-delusions of the cotton states vis-a-vis the world... An excellent book on all counts. Highly recommended. Choice 2010 A sophisticated, nuanced analysis of elite political-economic rhetoric in the antebellum South. -- Lawrence A. Peskin North Carolina Historical Review 2010 In sure-footed fashion, Brian Schoen guides the reader through overlooked issues in the oft-told account of southern secession. -- Frank J. Byrne Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 2010 Students of the causes of the Civil War should read The Fragile Fabric of Union. It is well written and extensively documented... The author brings the issues to life by illustrating how economic self interested colored the views of the South to the point that it was willing to sunder the Union and go to war. -- Stephen Donnelly Historical Journal of Massachusetts 2010 I found myself reading this book in light of current events. Schoen does a good job pointing out that legislative victors may rue their triumph, while losers may inadvertently reap benefits from loathed legislation... The book is clearly written. -- David G. Surdam Journal of Economic History 2010 Impressive... Adds an intriguing new dimension to ongoing debates about the nature of southern economic development, what motivated southern states to secede, why they seceded when they did, and ultimately what caused the Civil War. -- Beth English American Historical Review 2010 In this provocative book, he forces historians who have not done so already to discount 'Lost Cause' lore and pay greater attention to southerners who thought they could use their monopoly in raw cotton as leverage to advance the interests of their region in the larger world. -- Glenn C. Altschuler Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2010 An important contribution to the reinterpretation of plantation slavery and the origins of the U.S. Civil War... A lucidly written, richly researched, and convincing analysis of the global forces that shaped the politics of the southern slaveholders. -- Charles Post Journal of American History There is much to admire in Brian Schoen's ambitious new book... A remarkable scholarly debut that represents one of the most important studies of 'why the South fought' to be released in over a generation. -- Scott P. Marler Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 2009 Schoen's readable prose deserves a wide audience. His explanations of tariffs and other economic issues are clear, and he has admirable command of a wide range of political and economic subjects (both domestically and in foreign relations). This book will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any scholar of the antebellum era. -- Aaron W. Marrs Technology and Culture 2011 Schoen extends the transatlantic dimensions of this era; just as the politics of slavery were shaped by developments in the Caribbean and Europe, so too did the political economy of cotton stretch throughout the Atlantic world. This book should be read by all those interested in broadening their understanding of both the Atlantic world of the nineteenth century and the coming of the American Civil War. -- Ed Rugemer H-CivWar, H-Net Reviews Schoen challenges previous studies and underscores the impact of external global economics as a primary cause of the Civil War. This contention is likely to stir controversy and healthy debate. -- Michael Russert Civil War News 2010 Schoen's Fragile Fabric commendably sheds renewed light on the conflict's origins at the local, sectional, and transatlantic level. -- Marc-William Palen Southern Historian 2011
Awards
Winner of Southern Historical Association Bennett H. Wall Award 2010 (United States).
Book Information
ISBN 9781421404042
Author Brian D. Schoen
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm
