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Robert Merry

How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War

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Date:
Wednesday, September 4
Time:
7:30 pm PDT
Cost:
$10 – $35 Sliding Scale + optional $35 book add-on
Learn more about Sliding Scale tickets.

Venue

The Mehdi Reading Room
1119 8th Ave
Seattle, 98101 United States
+ Google Map

Note: Town Hall events are approximately 75 minutes long.

Book cover for "Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861" by Robert W. Merry, featuring bold blue and red text on a background with a torn paper design. The torn paper has the word "WAR!" typed in big black font.
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Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861

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Headshot of Roberyt W. Merry (with fair skin & hair) in front of a background of full bookshelves
Civics

In his new book, Decade of Disunion, Robert W. Merry explores the critical lessons from the 1850s when the United States faced a growing crisis over slavery.

The Mexican War’s vast new territories sparked debates on expanding slavery, clashing with the 1820 Missouri Compromise. Key events such as the Compromise of 1850, the 1854 repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the 1857 Dred Scott decision, and John Brown’s 1859 raid heightened tensions, leading to violent conflicts and further division between North and South.

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Merry focuses on the contrasting roles of South Carolina and Massachusetts. South Carolina, reliant on slave labor, debated secession, while Massachusetts became an antislavery stronghold, questioning the Constitution’s role in abolishing slavery. These states’ actions widened the national divide, making disunion inevitable. In December 1860, South Carolina’s secession following Abraham Lincoln’s election triggered the South’s departure from the Union. Through the lens of key figures, Merry underscores the fragile nature of democracy and the continuous effort required to sustain it.

Robert W. Merry spent 45 years in Washington, D.C., as a Wall Street Journal reporter and executive at Congressional Quarterly, including 12 years as CQ’s president and editor-in-chief. After CQ was sold to the Economist, he also served as editor of the polemical magazines The National Interest and The American Conservative. He is the author of six books on American history and foreign policy, including the forthcoming Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861.


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