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by Timothy B. Smith (Author)
The Mississippi Secession Convention is the first full treatment of any secession convention to date. Studying the Mississippi convention provides a wonderful glimpse into why southern states seceded, how they did so, and the effects of such action. Based largely on unpublished primary sources, this book provides a unique insight into the broader secession movement. But there was more to the secession convention than the mere act of leaving the Union, which was done only three days into the deliberations. The rest of the three-week January 1861 meeting as well as an additional week in March saw the delegates debate and pass a number of important ordinances that for a time governed the state. As seen through the eyes of the delegates themselves, with rich research into each member, this book provides a compelling overview of the importance of the rest of the convention as well. Yet, the effects of the convention gain the most analysis in this study, including the political processes that morphed after the momentous vote into unlikely alliances. Those on opposite ends of the secession issue quickly formed new political allegiances in a now almost totally Confederate-minded convention. These new political constructs largely formed over the issues of central versus local authority, which soon played into the Confederate versus state issues in the Civil War. In addition, the lasting consequences of defeat in the attempt to secede are examined, looking into the effect secession and war had on the delegates themselves and, by extension, their state.
