The Other South Southern Dissenters in the 19th century

The Other South Southern Dissenters in the 19th century

Degler, Carl N. The Other South: Southern Dissenters in the 19th century. Harper &Row. 1974

Carl Degler brings out an different side of the southern part of the United States in his book "The Other South". Degler argues that if one is to understand the south as it really was it is important to dis regard the terribly common misconception that all southerners supported slavery or were indifferent to the suffering induced upon the blacks by slavery. Where common American history eludes to the fact that there were only a handful of southerners who openly opposed slavery, Degler's book shows that southern dissenters were, of course always the minority but were certainly greater in numbers than a mere handful. Also, the sheer complexity of a seemingly simple southern society has played a huge role in the historical path the south has followed in American history. Within the complex southern society socioeconomic and of course racial classes solely dictated most all southern views on the slavery issue. Degler also touches on the ever present black influence on society in the south during this time period that was produced simply by their presence. In the middle of this moral conflict and fueling much of the conflict were groups of southern dissenters who risked much of their livelihood to fight against slavery.

It is said that southerners have a "double history "1 a history as southerners and a history as Americans. One of the main points that reinforces this idea of double history is that of all Americans, the white upper class in the south are the only ones who have been defeated in war and occupied by the enemy2 . This is what gives southerners their double history, no other part of the country has had such conflict between their local and national loyalties3. The southern dissenters however, had what could be called a triple history. It is this idea of a triple history that Degler places at the heart of his sympathetic stand on the position of the southern dissenter. The southern dissenters were also in the middle of a serious identity conflict. From the perspective of a northerner they were southerners, from a majority southern perspective they were defiantly not southern at least as far as values and ideals were concerned.