PERENNIAL QUESTIONS REVISITED

Abstract

Robert E. May. John A. Quitman: Old South Crusader. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1985. xviii + 465 pp. Thomas E. Schott. Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia: A Biography. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1988. xx + 552 pp. Whatever the fascination of new-fangled nineteenth-century social history and however compelling, in particular, matters of gender have recently become, these two important studies reaffirm the enduring significance of slavery, secession and manhood. Moreover, they are critical assessments, not mere hagiographie memorials to the so-called "achievements" of their subjects. Although one is more successful than the other, both volumes are superbly designed and illustrated products of the Southern Biography Series at Louisiana State University. Each also enhances our knowledge on large and contentious issues, particularly the vexed problems of diversity and change over time in the antebellum South.