The Fragile Fabric of Union: Cotton, Federal Politics, and the Global Origins of the Civil War

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments This book is about the vast and often complicated web of relationships created by the material-minded growth and sale of a commodity. Researching and writing it has forced me to confront some of the basest of human motives, rationalizations , and actions. More often than not, however, the process has affirmed my faith in humanity, not least because of the generous people who have helped me through it. The University of Virginia proved an ideal place to begin this project. It is, in part, my response to one of the many pearls of wisdom Edward Ayers offered during his seminar on the nineteenth-century South. While his call to “deprovincialize ” the South was leading him toward a groundbreaking comparative study of two border counties, he showed great enthusiasm for my big-picture approach. With his usual kindness, he made time to read and discuss my work, despite increasing administrative responsibility. It and I are all the better for it. Richard Drayton’s British Empire seminar provided the chance to write a research paper exploring connections between the Cotton South and Great Britain, a paper I was fine filing away. Richard would not let me and for that I remain grateful. His consistent support for me and this project (even after he left for xii Acknowledgments Cambridge) has been more important than he may realize. As my research pushed me deeper into the political terrain of the antebellum United States, Michael Holt became an increasingly valuable resource. More than anyone else Peter Onuf helped me realize this subject’s potential. He generously shared his time and brilliant insights, guiding me through the intellectual history and political economy of the early Republic. Our many conversations and his willingness to read multiple drafts, regardless of their condition , made this book possible. As importantly, he modeled to me what it meant to be a responsible scholar and a good citizen of the academy. I hope he sees this book as a small token of my appreciation. Having the likes of Peter Onuf and Edward Ayers as mentors comes with the added benefit of getting to know the other young scholars they attract. I had an especially talented, intellectually diverse, and remarkably encouraging cohort. Leonard Sadosky, Charles Irons, and Johann Neem offered regular encouragement and continue to enrich my personal and professional life. Sharon Murphy, Rob Parkinson, Watson Jennison, Dayo Mitchell, Susanna Lee, Aaron SheehanDean , Sarah Hand Meacham, John Riedl, Carl Bon Tempo, Katherine Pierce, Benjamin Carp, Richard Samuelson, and Albrecht Koshnick, along with other members of the Early American Republic Seminar, endured early drafts and more conversations about cotton than they probably cared to. I remain indebted. Other faculty at the University of Arkansas, Cambridge University, and the University of Virginia pointed me toward the field and helped me better understand the discipline. I am particularly thankful for my contact with David Sloan, David Edwards, Henry Tsai, Lynda Coon, Randall Woods, Suzanne McCray, Betty Wood, Mark Goldie, the late Stephen Innes, Charles McCurdy, Olivier Zunz, Nelson Lichtenstein, Maurie McInnes, Paul Halliday, Ed Russell, and Joseph Kett. To my great fortune I entered the profession at California State University, Sacramento, where I had splendid colleagues and made cherished friends, among them Patrick Ettinger, Mona Siegel, Al Holland, Barbara Keys, Afshin Marashi, and Christopher Castaneda. In addition to being one of those, Charles Postel graciously read the entire manuscript, offering sage advice about content and process. This manuscript became a book at Ohio University, where my luck with co-workers has continued. Paul Milazzo, Mariana Dantas, Robert Ingram, Kevin Mattson, and Bruce Steiner all shared their input on specific portions of the book or the ideas informing them. Our chair, Norman Goda, has offered considerable wisdom and unwavering support as I brought this project to a close. Acknowledgments xiii As this book evolved, a number of senior scholars in U.S. and Atlantic history graciously offered their insights, commented on conference presentations, or responded to published materials emerging from my research. I would like to thank P. J. Marshall, Joe Miller, Eliga Gould, John Larson, John Majewski, Michael O’Brien, Susanna Delfino, Marc Egnal, Larry Hudson, Herb Sloan, Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Douglas A. Irwin, L. Diane Barnes, and Jim Horn. Several others read all or significant portions of this book as it progressed toward completion: Adam Rothman, John James, James Read, Peter Coclanis, Frank Towers, Robin Einhorn, Andrew Shankman, and the anonymous reviewer...