Robert W. Young. Senator James Murray Mason: Defender of the Old South. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1998. xvii + 288 pp. $38.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-87049-998-2.
Reviewed by Clayton E. Jewett
Published on H-CivWar (October, 1998)
Robert W. Young examines the rise and fall of arena in 1847, winning election as a Virginia rep‐ the Confederate States of America through the life resentative to the United States Senate. of Senator James Murray Mason. Young investi‐ As a politician, Mason clung to the doctrine of gates three critical themes that run through Ma‐ states' rights and a strict interpretation of the Con‐ son's life--a strict interpretation of the Constitu‐ stitution. Mason was infuenced in the 1830s by tion, a defense of slavery, and foreign afairs--to the country's leading states' rights advocates such reveal how this Virginia-born "cavalier" repre‐ as John C. Calhoun and Virginia^Òs Robert M. T. sented the heart of the Old South. Young also em‐ Hunter. Young claims that Mason's ideology was ploys both a chronological and thematic approach rooted in his heritage, his family, and in his edu‐ to Mason's life and does an excellent job of weav‐ cation, and that he sought to preserve his idea of ing these together to place Mason in the heart of an older republic. Mason's political world view the issues that confronted his era. was a hearkening back to the days of his forefa‐ James M. Mason was born on November 3, thers, and he believed it unwise for Americans to 1798. He attended the University of Pennsylvania relinquish their freedom to a strong central gov‐ and studied law at the College of William and ernment. This backward-looking view lent to Ma‐ Mary. In 1820, he began his law practice in Win‐ son's strict interpretation of the constitution, that chester, Virginia. His political career started in was evident as early as 1827 in the Giles resolu‐ 1826 when he won the election to represent Fred‐ tions and continued through the nullifcation cri‐ erick County in the Virginia House of Delegates. sis, the 1830s national bank crisis, and into his Mason, though, spent most of his early life devot‐ senatorial career. Furthermore, Mason opposed ed to family and to his law practice. Young reveals the formation of the Department of the Interior that these pursuits, however, became monoto‐ and government support of the Transcontinental nous, leading Mason again to enter the political Railway. Young also reveals that Mason's political ideology placed him in the mainstream of political H-Net Reviews opposition to the Van Buren administration. He and the struggle between nationalism and sec‐ opposed Van Buren's interference into the nation‐ tionalism. al economy through the formation of an indepen‐ By far, a large portion of the monograph is de‐ dent treasury to deal with the panic of 1837, yet voted to foreign afairs and Mason's tenure as another sign of seeking to restore an older "or‐ Confederate Commissioner. Foreign-policy issues, der." Young claims, were just as signifcant in Mason's On slavery, Young argues that Mason defend‐ life and career as constitutional or slavery issues. ed the "peculiar institution" on a constitutional Mason's venture into foreign afairs came in 1861 basis as early as 1848. Mason suggested that when Confederate President Jeferson Davis ap‐ northern failure to uphold the constitution and pointed Mason as Special Commissioner to Great slavery eventually would lead to disunion. Never‐ Britain and Ireland. While Young paints Mason as theless, a defense of slavery did not lead Mason to a man devoted to heritage and family, reality support Virginia secession from the Union. shows quite a diferent picture. When Mason re‐ Rather, as Young argues, it was Mason's strict in‐ ceived his assignment to Europe, many friends terpretation of the constitution and the northern urged Mason to take his family with him to Lon‐ assault on the constitution--the basis of southern don. Mason disregarded these suggestions, how‐ honor and society--that led him to support dis‐ ever, and instead left his family to the uncertainty union. Mason's constitutional defense of seces‐ of the crisis. In dealing with this part of Mason's sion, however, is not as unique as Young leads the life, Young exposes the complexity of internation‐ reader to believe. Jon L. Wakelyn reveals in his al afairs that afected Europe's non-recognition of monograph Southern Pamphlets on Secession that the Confederacy. In this context, Young is at his the vast majority of southern politicians invoked best in revealing the critical link between the mil‐ constitutional arguments in support for secession itary and political dimensions of the American and slavery. Though Mason believed secession ir‐ Civil War. As long as the Union remained victori‐ reversible, he continued to fght for peace. The au‐ ous on the battlefeld, Mason's success in procur‐ thor, however, does not make clear whether he ing diplomatic recognition from England was hin‐ wants the reader to regard Mason as a staunch se‐ dered. Nevertheless, Mason still had a mission to cessionist or a conditional unionist. Furthermore, accomplish, and the reader is left to wonder Young attempts to paint Mason as a man encom‐ whether Young views Mason as a successful diplo‐ passing southern interests. This too is problematic mat. At one point, Young argues that Mason's so‐ because the complexity of that region made it im‐ cial and political acquaintances are proof of his possible for one man to symbolize that world, being "diplomatic" enough. In this light, the fail‐ whether of that era or an era gone by. For exam‐ ure of diplomatic recognition lay not on Mason's ple, in the 1850s many southerners sought to ex‐ shoulders but rest with forces outside of his infu‐ pand the institution of slavery through flibuster‐ ence, primarily with British political interests of ing attempts. Mason not only opposed this, but the British Foreign Ministry. To be sure, Young re‐ also further opposed Sam Houston's designs for a veals that the American Civil War did not play protectorate over Mexico. Thus, Mason appears to prominently in British foreign afairs. Instead, be more of a Virginian than a southerner. Never‐ Great Britain was concerned with Italy, Poland, theless, through the thread of Mason's constitu‐ Denmark, Prussia, and Austria. On the other tional views and defense of slavery, Young does hand, however, Young uncovers a recurring pat‐ an excellent job of using the political life of this tern of passivity in Mason's diplomatic eforts to Virginian to show the crisis of American society gain recognition. Mason failed to take charge in eforts toward gaining diplomatic recognition. In‐
2 H-Net Reviews stead he waited on directions from Richmond or still left with trying to understand the complexity British advisors and spent time engaged in social of the South. Of course, this is an admittedly un‐ events and in fnancial and purchasing issues. just criticism given the topic of the book. Never‐ Though Young does a noteworthy job of present‐ theless, in the larger picture, the question is ing foreign afairs and Mason simultaneously, one begged. After all, historical scholarship of the still has to wonder about the place of Mason in 1970s, emphasizing southern nationalism and a history and historical scholarship. Is this Virgini‐ monolithic south, continues to infuence scholar‐ an one of those forgotten southern leaders such as ship, skewing our understanding of southern poli‐ Louis T. Wigfall? Or was he another mere cog in tics, the South, and the American Civil War. While the failed machinery of the Confederacy? In ei‐ such studies as Young's go far in shedding light on ther case, Young adequately reveals the extent to nineteenth-century political life, we still do not which southerners relied too heavily upon cotton know enough about the era in a comparative to infuence foreign policy, and the failure of cot‐ sense. What did it mean to be a slaveholder, ton in foreign diplomacy. Furthermore, Young politician, or yeoman farmer from Texas versus also divulges how the Confederacy was driven to one from Virginia or Florida? What did it mean to consider the unthinkable: acceptance of abolition be a legislator in the United States Congress as op‐ in return for foreign recognition. posed to one in the state legislature--the locality of After the close of the war, Mason went into power and identifcation for nineteenth-century self-exile in Canada, fnally gathering his family. Americans? He returned to Virginia in 1869 due to ill health. Despite this criticism, Young's monograph Until death, Mason remained unreconstructed, a makes a worthy contribution to the feld for histo‐ testament, argues Young, to his desire for and rians interested in Confederate foreign afairs commitment to an older republic. and, more specifcally, those interested in Mason's Though Young has delivered a well re‐ private life. More importantly, since Young views searched and written biography, this reviewer southern defeat as the product of failed attempts does have some quibbles with the monograph. At to gain ofcial recognition, he exposes another times, the author appears to rely on older histori‐ side to the complexity of the failed Confederacy. cal works, ignoring recent scholarship. For exam‐ Copyright (c) 1998 by H-Net, all rights re‐ ple, his understanding of the critical issues that served. This work may be copied for non-proft afected and transformed political parties in the educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ 1850s is based solely on the work of Eric Foner, ig‐ thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ noring the contributions of William Gienapp and tact [email protected]. Tyler Anbinder. Young also appears to view the American Civil War as an irrepressible confict, an argument that clearly has been refuted. By view‐ ing the American Civil War in this light, it allows the author to place Mason in the mainstream of the political struggle, instead of viewing him as a fringe politician who made little impact. It is clear that Mason was well known, but whether he was a great southern leader is debatable. Further‐ more, like most of the old Civil War history, we gain the perspective of Virginians and the feld is
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Citation: Clayton E. Jewett. Review of Young, Robert W. Senator James Murray Mason: Defender of the Old South. H-CivWar, H-Net Reviews. October, 1998.
URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=2432
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