James Henry Hammond papers

James Henry Hammond was a South Carolina governor, a U.S. Representative, a U.S. Senator, and one of the most outspoken of pro-slavery advocates in the decades before the American Civil War. This collection contains his correspondence, speeches, and plantation documents covering such topics as slavery, nullification, secession, and states' rights. Hammond's papers are indispensable for researchers interested in South Carolina and national politics before the Civil War, as well as pro-slavery rhetoric, the institution of slavery, and the operation of plantations.