The F Street Mess - (Civil War America) by Alice Elizabeth Malavasic (Paperback)

About the Book

"Malavasic argues that some Southern politicians in the 1850s did indeed hold an inordinate amount of power in the antebellum Congress and used it to foster the interests of slavery ... focuses her argument on Senators David Rice Atchison of Missouri, Andrew Pickens Butler of South Carolina, and Robert M. T. Hunter and James Murray Mason of Virginia, known by their contemporaries as the "F Street Mess" for the location of the house they shared. ... the F Street Mess was a functioning oligarchy within the U.S. Senate whose power was based on shared ideology, institutional seniority, and personal friendship"--

Book Synopsis

Pushing back against the idea that the Slave Power conspiracy was merely an ideological construction, Alice Elizabeth Malavasic argues that some southern politicians in the 1850s did indeed hold an inordinate amount of power in the antebellum Congress and used it to foster the interests of slavery. Malavasic focuses her argument on Senators David Rice Atchison of Missouri, Andrew Pickens Butler of South Carolina, and Robert M. T. Hunter and James Murray Mason of Virginia, known by their contemporaries as the "F Street Mess" for the location of the house they shared. Unlike the earlier and better-known triumvirate of John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster, the F Street Mess was a functioning oligarchy within the U.S. Senate whose power was based on shared ideology, institutional seniority, and personal friendship.

By centering on their most significant achievement--forcing a rewrite of the Nebraska bill that repealed the restriction against slavery above the 36 degrees 30′ parallel--Malavasic demonstrates how the F Street Mess's mastery of the legislative process led to one of the most destructive pieces of legislation in United States history and helped pave the way to secession.

Review Quotes

[Malavasic] has carefully unpacked a major moment in US history, one that brought Americans to the brink of war."--H-Net Reviews

A compelling work that shows that a real 'slave power conspiracy' did exist, at least in the Senate, and more so that understanding the friendships and private associations of legislators can reveal much about the direction and dynamics of making law and exercising power."--Civil War Book Review

A detailed overview of the antebellum legislative process and the detrimental ramifications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act."--Missouri Historical Review

A welcomed contribution to the political history of the U.S. Senate and the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its aftermath."--Journal of the Civil War Era

Has much to offer as a legislative history, a demonstration of the value of collective biography, and a welcome contribution to the voluminous literature on slavery and antebellum politics . . . an engaging and accessible narrative."--Civil War Monitor

Makes a forthright case for the decisive role in the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act."--Journal of American History

Malavasic is a graceful storyteller whose keen account of senatorial intrigue will appeal to many historians."--American Historical Review