A wonderful study of the anatomy of the characters, issues, inner workings, and impact through the ages of the convention that took Mississippi out of the Union. Surely this fine book will become the standard work on the Mississippi Secession Convention."" - Michael B. Ballard, author of The Civil War in Mississippi: Major Campaigns and Battles. ""Brilliantly conceived and masterfully executed, this book clearly presents and analyzes the work of the Mississippi Secession Convention. With his usual clarity, Smith bores in on the reasons behind Mississippi's need to secede and reminds us of the centrality of slavery in the convention's every discussion and decision. Smith's book is essential for those wanting to know why Mississippi (and the South) seceded."" - Dwight Pitcaithley, chief historian, National Park Service, 1995-2005.

""Far too little has been done on the secession conventions in the future Confederate states, yet they are where it began, and their story is one of much more conflict and dissent than generally assumed. No seceding state has received as thoughtful a study as Mississippi in Timothy B. Smith's new book The Mississippi Secession Convention. His research is outstanding, his analyses penetrating, and his narrative moving. This is grassroots history and a must for all interested in secession, the Confederacy, and the course of southern history from 1860 to the present. The biographical directory of delegates and other appendices are an added benefit."" - William C. Davis, author of Look Away! A History of the Confederate States of America.