Editor's Page

Abstract

Editor's Page Daniel J. Burge One of the first things that I realized upon moving to Kentucky was how difficult it can be to define the state from a regional perspective. Although many signs welcomed me to the "front porch of the South," I was quickly struck by the wide variety of differences found within the commonwealth's border. Perhaps because it shares a border with seven states, occupies a liminal position between North and South, and sits just outside of the Midwest, Kentucky has never fit comfortably into the broad categories historians like to devise. It can be challenging, after all, to extrapolate broad conclusions from a state that somehow managed to produce both Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln in the years leading up to the Civil War. As this issue of the Register illustrates, however, studying Kentucky as part of a broader region can inform how we understand American history. Keith Harris focuses his attention on the years immediately after Kentucky achieved statehood, in "Demanding a Market at Home: Stability, Independence, and Protection in the Trans-Appalachian West, 1792–1816." Placing Kentucky within the region of the early West, Harris shows how Kentuckians and other westerners looked to the government to protect their economic interests. Harris challenges the frequently made assertion that Kentuckians were early proponents of free trade and demonstrates that even prior to the War of 1812, many westerners looked to the federal government to secure land and to help provide a home market for their increasingly diverse economic needs. Harris' article forms a natural segue to Laura Ellyn Smith's examination of perennial presidential candidate Henry Clay, a politician known for his embrace of protective tariffs. Smith's article, "A Clash [End Page 215] of Ideas: Presidential Election Policy Debates in 1832 Kentucky," examines the contest that pitted Henry Clay against Andrew Jackson. Historians have traditionally dismissed the election of 1832 as un-important, especially considering that Clay captured a mere six states and under 40 percent of the popular vote. Smith challenges this traditional interpretation by digging into Kentucky newspapers and a trove of personal letters. In doing so, Smith shows Kentuckians were drawn to Clay's ambitious policy proposals, including protectionism, and believed that his American System would improve Kentucky's economy. Yet the Union Henry Clay fought so hard to preserve was eventually rent asunder by the Civil War, causing a particular dilemma for Kentuckians. Christina Adkins's article "Josie Underwood's Union Blues: A Kentucky Diarist's Civil War" examines how one woman handled the splintering. Josie Underwood came from a prominent family in Bowling Green that owned a large plantation called Mt. Air. Fortunately, Underwood decided to keep a diary, which provides a window into the perspective of a loyal Kentucky woman. As Adkins observes, many published diaries were kept by southern women who saw Union troops as invaders. In contrast, Underwood denounced Confederates and rejected suitors who embraced secession. Underwood also firmly believed in the institution of slavery and despised those whom she felt threatened the institution. Through the Civil War, Underwood refused to accept that Kentuckians were somehow better off outside of the Union, even after her beloved home went up in flames. The three authors in this issue effectively use stories centered on Kentucky to illustrate larger points. In the years leading up to the War of 1812, for example, many Kentuckians, and others west of the Appalachian Mountains, were more interested in cementing their ties to the federal government than they were in sundering them. As the years passed, and as Henry Clay rose to national prominence, Kentuckians continued to turn to the federal government for economic aid and protection. While it might be easy to write off Kentucky's [End Page 216] vote in 1832 as insignificant, Kentucky was not so much an outlier as it was a harbinger of the broad appeal that Clay's policies would soon have across the nation. Similarly, Underwood's story helps us understand those who perceived the Civil War primarily as a war for the Union. Unconcerned over the plight of the enslaved, these Americans nevertheless saw secessionists as traitors who had abandoned the Constitution. By examining...