Prelude to Civil War is an older book but it's still a masterpiece in the historiography of the Nullification Controversy. Freehling is in his research and methodology throughout the book, there are a few complaints of typographical and factual errors, such as “Senator William Campbell [Cabell] Rives for example” but that's irrelevant in the whole realm of things. Freehling’s ability to look past the surface level issues in the Nullification Controversy and bring all the pieces together while showing how South Carolina itself is multilayered and not a monolith is a triumph. The analysis of the various key players during the time period humanized them, showing their faults and weaknesses while also sympathizing with the choices they made is how history books should be. Freehling hammers in the point that the Nullification Crisis and slavery tied together inexplicably tied together but at times it feels like Freehling writes more about enslaved “insurrections, colonization, and emancipation than…[the] ramifications of the actuality of protective tariffs.” While I appreciate how Freehling tries to humanize South Carolina planters he does attribute too much soul searching to them in my opinion. I'm sure there were was some psychological burden on owning slaves but I'm also sure profits outweighed what pity they may have felt if they felt any at all.

Prelude to Civil War is written chronologically and topically, and covers everything from politics and economics to the social aspect of it all. Freehling shows how and why South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and all the reasons stemming from nullification and slavery. The wording in this book does reflect its age with the usage of words like negro instead of black and slave instead of enslaved. Prelude to Civil War is a great read if you're interested in American history, Southern history, or Antebellum history.