The Alternative: A Separate Nationality; or, The Africanization of the South

"The Alternative: A Separate Nationality; or, The Africanization of the South" by William H. Holcombe is a look at the slavery arguments of the 1860s, where the author speaks from a Southern point of view during a time when more and more people wanted to end slavery. Holcombe tries to defend slavery, claiming it's needed for the South's economy and even good for African people, saying it's important for the Southern way of life. The book talks about the growing split between the North and South, presenting it as a fight for the survival of slavery versus the South losing its identity, which Holcombe refers to as "Africanization". The book suggests that the South could fall apart socially and economically if slavery ends, so the South needs to stand together against the North; and may have to form its own nation to avoid being destroyed. Holcombe paints this separation as something natural because the North and South have different ideas about culture and race, all to support his pro-slavery beliefs.