Hinton Rowan Helper was born on December 27, 1829 in Mocksville,
North Carolina. He graduated from Mocksville Academy in 1848. In
1851, Helper moved to California but was unsuccessful in
becoming wealthy and eventually moved back to North Carolina.
Helper published The Impending Crisis of the South in 1857. The
book used statistical facts to prove that slavery was not only
harmful to the economic stability of non-slaveholders but also
destructive for the south as a whole. Helper’s book was banned
in the south, but was used as a campaign document by the
Republican Party from 1857 until 1861. Even though Helper did
not believe in slavery, he was not a friend to the African
Americans living in the country. He believed that the races
should be kept separate at all costs. Hinton Rowan Helper died
on March 8, 1909.