The Mississippi Secession Convention is the first full treatment of
any secession convention to date. Studying the Mississippi convention of
1861 offers insight into how and why southern states seceded and the
effects of such a breech. Based largely on primary sources, this book
provides a unique insight into the broader secession movement.
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 entire proceeding.
The effects of the convention gain the most analysis in this study,
including the political processes that, after the momentous vote,
morphed into unlikely alliances. Those on opposite ends of the secession
question quickly formed new political allegiances in a predominantly
Confederate-minded convention. These new political factions formed
largely over the issues of central versus local authority, which quickly
played into Confederate versus state issues during the Civil War. In
addition, author Timothy B. Smith considers the lasting consequences of
defeat, looking into the effect secession and war had on the delegates
themselves and, by extension, their state, Mississippi.
