The Formative Period in Alabama, 1815-1828 (review)

BOOK REVIEWS The Formative Period in Alabama, 1815-1828. By Thomas Perkins Abernethy. (University, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 1965. Pp. 220. $6.95.) Despite the flood of historical publications in recent decades, the new materials discovered and the new interpretations formulated, some of the old works remain valuable. One such monograph is Thomas Perkins Abemethy's study of nascent Alabama which was first published in 1922. Slightly revised by Professor Abemethy, this long-scarce work has been made available again by the University of Alabama Press. The subject is fascinating. Seldom in the relentless westward surge of the American people has a state emerged so rapidly. In 1810 less than ten thousand Americans inhabited a few fringe areas of the eastern section of the Mississippi Territory; a decade later the new state of Alabama boasted a population of over 144,0001 The formative years were a swirl of activity defying stereotype and easy generalization. Indian power was broken by General Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812, and the real mass immigration began with the coming of peace. A few wealthy planters sought promising cotton lands, but from the beginning the majority of the newcomers were small farmers, yeomen striving to become planters. The settlers retained some loyalty and affection for their old states—primarily Tennessee, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia—and the influence of the "Georgia faction" was long a subject of controversy, but other factors were just as important in politics. Friction between northern and southern Alabama existed from the beginning and increased sharply over such issues as the location of the capital and internal improvements. Banking policy also caused significant political clashes until Governor Israel Pickens created a state bank far too popular with the masses to be successfully challenged. In general, no formal political parties existed; personal conviction and temporary considerations were usually decisive. Close examination of significant elections reveals no consistent voting patterns. In the closing years of the formative period only one political fact was absolutely certain , the people of Alabama wanted Andrew Jackson in the White House. Yet this movement was not fully unified either, and one faction under Dixon H. Lewis, a champion of states' rights and strict constitutional construction , was the forerunner of organized opposition to the Jacksonians. Beneath the political surface the basic pattern of life in Alabama evolved. Agriculture was the basis of the economy, and slavery was also 179 180civil war history fundamental—by 1830 slaves made up almost 40 per cent of the population . Com and cotton were the main crops, but cotton was truly king. Southern Alabama traded through Mobile, but the northern part of the state dealt with New Orleans, and the two regions had relatively little intercourse. Transportation and communication facilities in this new land were woefully inadequate, and cultural and educational opportunities were quite limited, especially in the rural areas. The Baptists and Methodists quickly established their traditional dominance in the state, and the Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches attracted smaller followings . Criminals, rowdies, gamblers, and ne'er-do-wells of every description appeared, but neither they nor the wealthy planters were the majority. The great mass of the early Alabamians were small farmers, hard-working, hospitable, sturdy folk, typical western Americans. These ambitious yeomen seldom clashed with the planters. The state's liberal constitution gave the farmers the balance of political power, but they were usually willing to entrust leadership to the better prepared, more knowledgeable planters . Generally sharp class conflict was absent in the fluid, democratic society of nascent Alabama. The University of Alabama Press has performed a real service in issuing this revised edition of The Formative Period in Alabama in its Southern Historical Publications series. It remains a solid work, essential for an understanding of Alabama history and useful for an appreciation of young America. The expert will find weak spots in this monograph, particularly in light of recent scholarship. The treatment of slavery, for example, is somewhat superficial, but on the whole this work stands the test of scholarship. The graduate student struggling for a Ph.D. degree might well examine this book to see what a first-rate dissertation should be and can become. It is...