John F. Kvach
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780813144207
- eISBN:
- 9780813144481
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813144207.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
Between 1846 and 1867 J. D. B. De Bow, the editor of De Bow’s Review, promoted agricultural reform, urbanization, industrialization, and commercial development in the nineteenth-century American ...
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Between 1846 and 1867 J. D. B. De Bow, the editor of De Bow’s Review, promoted agricultural reform, urbanization, industrialization, and commercial development in the nineteenth-century American South. His monthly journal appealed to thousands of antebellum southerners with similar interests in a modern market economy. His vision and his readers’ support of economic and social diversification predated the rhetoric of postbellum boosters who promised a “New South” after the Civil War. De Bow created an economic plan that resonated among urban, middle-class merchants and professionals, wealthy planters, and prominent industrialists. Like their postbellum counterparts, these antebellum innovators shared a similar message of hope for the future. De Bow successfully consolidated modern economic goals into a cohesive plan, and his reverence for past traditions helped legitimize the future transformation of the South. Although debates over slavery and sectionalism overwhelmed the original intent of the Review, he recovered his editorial balance after supporting secession and experiencing the misery of the Civil War. He rededicated himself to regional economic improvement and asked readers to help reintegrate the South back into the national economy. His comprehensive postwar plan for southern recovery came from his prewar editorial work. Although he died before the next generation of boosters began their public campaign for a New South, De Bow had made the first and most significant contribution to their New South Creed. His anticipation of a modern economy helped create hope for a New South long before the demise of the Old South.Less
Between 1846 and 1867 J. D. B. De Bow, the editor of De Bow’s Review, promoted agricultural reform, urbanization, industrialization, and commercial development in the nineteenth-century American South. His monthly journal appealed to thousands of antebellum southerners with similar interests in a modern market economy. His vision and his readers’ support of economic and social diversification predated the rhetoric of postbellum boosters who promised a “New South” after the Civil War. De Bow created an economic plan that resonated among urban, middle-class merchants and professionals, wealthy planters, and prominent industrialists. Like their postbellum counterparts, these antebellum innovators shared a similar message of hope for the future. De Bow successfully consolidated modern economic goals into a cohesive plan, and his reverence for past traditions helped legitimize the future transformation of the South. Although debates over slavery and sectionalism overwhelmed the original intent of the Review, he recovered his editorial balance after supporting secession and experiencing the misery of the Civil War. He rededicated himself to regional economic improvement and asked readers to help reintegrate the South back into the national economy. His comprehensive postwar plan for southern recovery came from his prewar editorial work. Although he died before the next generation of boosters began their public campaign for a New South, De Bow had made the first and most significant contribution to their New South Creed. His anticipation of a modern economy helped create hope for a New South long before the demise of the Old South.
John F. Kvach
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780813144207
- eISBN:
- 9780813144481
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813144207.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
This chapter examines how economic, political, and social changes in early nineteenth-century Charleston, South Carolina, influenced De Bow’s life. Born at a time when financial panic, sectional ...
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This chapter examines how economic, political, and social changes in early nineteenth-century Charleston, South Carolina, influenced De Bow’s life. Born at a time when financial panic, sectional crisis, and potential slave revolts altered the mood and outlook of Charleston, De Bow accepted opportunities as they came, failed at many of them, and eventually settled on writing as his best chance of escaping his difficult childhood. As a young adult he emerged from Charleston with a sharp intellect, an articulate tongue, and a talented pen. His emergence as a local thinker and writer caught the attention of some of the city’s most prominent businessmen, who asked him to represent Charleston at an upcoming commercial convention in Memphis, Tennessee. It would be during this trip, while sitting with John C. Calhoun, that De Bow decided to leave Charleston for New Orleans and start a monthly journal dedicated to southern economic development.Less
This chapter examines how economic, political, and social changes in early nineteenth-century Charleston, South Carolina, influenced De Bow’s life. Born at a time when financial panic, sectional crisis, and potential slave revolts altered the mood and outlook of Charleston, De Bow accepted opportunities as they came, failed at many of them, and eventually settled on writing as his best chance of escaping his difficult childhood. As a young adult he emerged from Charleston with a sharp intellect, an articulate tongue, and a talented pen. His emergence as a local thinker and writer caught the attention of some of the city’s most prominent businessmen, who asked him to represent Charleston at an upcoming commercial convention in Memphis, Tennessee. It would be during this trip, while sitting with John C. Calhoun, that De Bow decided to leave Charleston for New Orleans and start a monthly journal dedicated to southern economic development.
