Federalism, Secession, and the American State

Lawrence M. Anderson is an associate professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He teaches mainly in the area of American politics. His research interests include federalism and secessionism.

"Anderson provides fresh insights into dynamics of secession that changed the path of the nation in the mid-1800s. The book’s original research carefully details the growing estrangement of Southerners and especially the South Carolina radicals who tested – and ultimately crossed – the frontiers of national loyalty. By exposing the fatal mixture of federalism and polarization that paved the way to national tragedy, Anderson holds up a distant mirror to today’s turbulent politics."—David Brian Robertson, University of Missouri – St. Louis"This book makes important new contributions both to the general theory of federalism, secession, and stability; and to the issues of American stability and disunion in the years leading to the Civil War. Focusing on the critical state of South Carolina, Anderson explains the forces generating this state’s leadership in the Southern movement to protect slavery and, ultimately, in the path of secession from the United States."—Barry Weingast, Stanford University

• Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The American State and Early Challenges to Central State Authority Chapter 3: States’ Rights in South Carolina: From Nullification to the First Secession Crisis Chapter 4: South Carolina Secedes Chapter 5: The Path of Secession in the Three Souths Chapter 6: The Past and Future of Federalism and Secession