A fiery defense of slavery and the southern way of life, Hammond's letters to Clarkson offer a rare and candid glimpse into the mind of a die-hard defender of the 'peculiar institution'. Despite their controversial and offensive content, these letters remain a valuable primary source for the study of slavery and its impact on American society and politics. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.