Flowers, Guns, and Money: Joel Roberts Poinsett and the Paradoxes of American Patriotism

Joel Roberts Poinsett is a difficult man to pin down. If we remember him at all, it is in December when the red and green plants that bear his name, poinsettias, hit supermarket shelves. Yet, as historian Lindsay Schakenbach Regele demonstrates in her new monograph, Flowers, Guns, and Money: Joel Roberts Poinsett and the Paradoxes of American Patriotism, Poinsett's life teaches us much more than the history of a plant. As an ambassador and politician, this South Carolinian played a key role in many of the nineteenth century's most pivotal events, including the Latin American Wars of Independence, the nullification crisis of 1832–33, Indian removal, and the Mexican-American War.Diving deeper than his accomplishments, however, Regele's biography of Poinsett carefully unpacks his life's many paradoxes. A proud Southerner, slave owner, and Democrat who advocated against states’ rights, the annexation of Texas, and the expansion of slavery, Poinsett defies easy political categorization. Rather, Regele uses Poinsett's personal papers; political, economic, and agricultural reports; and a host of other sources to argue that Poinsett was driven by a form of patriotism that defined true statesmanship, not in terms of political party, but by a politician's willingness to act “in the service of the new American republic by securing economic prosperity and military security” (2). A true “patriot,” therefore, could work across national borders, transcend party lines, or even promote their individual economic and social prosperity as long as their actions also furthered the United States’ economic, militaristic, and political goals.As Regele recounts, Poinsett demonstrated this particular brand of economic and martial patriotism throughout his diverse career. While serving as both a secret and official representative of the United States in South America and Mexico, he worked with a wide range of actors with varying political beliefs to establish trade deals and bolster US overseas economic investments—including his own. After returning from abroad, Poinsett opposed efforts like nullification and the annexation of Texas for fear they would prove financially detrimental to the United States. Similarly, when tasked with overseeing the violent removal of Native Americans from their land, Poinsett did so, prioritizing militarism over the well-being of Indigenous people in order to open up more land for white economic development.A key, yet limited, facet of Regele's work analyzes how Poinsett used his scientific interest in horticulture to bolster what he perceived to be both his and the United States’ economic and political well-being. As a firm believer in agricultural diversification, for instance, Poinsett sent plant materials collected on his tours of Mexico and South America to horticultural societies in the United States for study and commercialization. This included cuttings from the vibrant Cuetlaxochitl of southern Mexico, which would prove popular in the States and would soon be given the English name poinsettia in honor of the US ambassador.Poinsett's curiosity in plant sciences continued after his return to the United States, where violence and militarism further facilitated his interest. Upon inheriting a plantation through marriage, Poinsett financially and socially profited from the agricultural labor of enslaved people. Likewise, during his time as secretary of war under Martin Van Buren, Poinsett took advantage of Indian removal and the US military to oversee the collection of plant samples in the West. As Regele relates, Poinsett's interest in the natural sciences culminated in his effort to create the National Institute, a predecessor to the Smithsonian, in the 1840s. The institute represented yet another facet of Poinsett's patriotism, as he hoped the collections it housed could promote scientific study for the economic benefit of the United States.While Poinsett's collection and sharing of plants stands as an important and evident theme throughout Regele's work, there were times I found myself wanting more. Most of her analyses on plants as diplomatic tools came in the introduction and conclusion, receiving less emphasis in the body of her work. The examination she does present, however, is a perceptive discussion on botanicals and their role in cross-border economic and political exchange. As such, her work opens the door for further research into how botanical knowledge making can shape and influence our understanding of international agriculture, imperialism, and politics in the nineteenth century. All told, Regele's biography is an insightful, well-researched, and captivating analysis of Joel Roberts Poinsett's influential political career. Perhaps more importantly, her work demonstrates the effectiveness of using the life of one mercurial politician as a window into the complexities, fluidities, and paradoxes of early nineteenth-century political and economic life.