In Apostles of Disunion, Charles Dew attempted to explain what caused the South to secede and start a civil war. One topic he focused on and believed was a major reason the South seceded was the pro slavery attitude the South held. Dew believed that if slavery did not exist then the civil war would have never occurred. Through his writings he showed the pro slavery attitude Southerners held and he used several examples to support this idea. Two of the best examples he used were actions that pro slavery Southerners took before the civil war started and speeches made by pro slavery southerners in attempt to gain an allegiance against the North.
             One example that Dew provided that showed actions Southerners took that demonstrated there pro slavery attitudes was the use of scare tactics by these Southerners. In an effort to build an alliance through the South, Southern leaders would use emotion to gain support of the common people. They would give examples of what would happen to them and there families if blacks would be free. These examples would explain how the lives of Southerners would be ruined and that the country would come to an end if slaves were freed. On page 22, Dew gave portions of a speech, by Governor John J. Petus of Mississippi that was given to the state legislature. In this speech he said, "Secession was the only way to avoid the blight of Black Republicans politics and free Negro morals", he continued to say that if slaves were freed, Mississippi would become "a cess pool of vice, crime and infamy". Petus was attempting to rationalize that the state would become a haven of criminals if slaves were freed. He was really concerned about losing the revenue from slavery, but he used scare tactics to get approval for secession.
             Another action that showed that pro slavery attitude Southerners held was the commissions that they held. These commissions were firs
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