Bloody Flag of Anarchy: Unionism in South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis by Brian C. Neumann (review)

Abstract

Bloody Flag of Anarchy provides a fresh and overdue historiographical update to South Carolina’s place within the Nullification Crisis of 1832–1833. By merging overpowering evidence and convincing prose, Brian C. Neumann deftly illustrates the underexplored influence of Unionism in the Palmetto State and vanquishes a consensus that has changed little since the 1960s. Far from the single-minded and isolated island of Calhounites often presented, Neumann reveals a dynamic, politically conflicted, and ideologically conscious South Carolina where devoted Unionists made Nullifiers fight for every inch. Unionists and Nullifiers shared most of the same beliefs, ambitions, and slave-related anxieties. Departing from Freehling’s narrative, which linked nullification’s statewide triumph to slavery, Neumann demonstrates that many pro-slavery voices weaponized inflexible Unionism to serve common goals and assuage mutual anxieties. Bloody Flag of Anarchy is not only a valuable contribution to Jacksonian political history, but also an interesting, well-written, and accessible book recommended to scholar and amateur enthusiast alike.