Here are some of his key works:
* "The Mudsill Theory": This is his most famous and controversial piece. Delivered as a speech to the South Carolina legislature in 1858, it argued that a society needs a "mudsill" - a lower class of people who perform manual labor - to support the higher classes. Hammond explicitly stated that enslaved African Americans served as this "mudsill" in the South.
* "The Pro-Slavery Argument": This collection of essays, published in 1853, defended slavery on moral, economic, and historical grounds. Hammond claimed slavery was a benevolent system that provided for the welfare of enslaved people and was necessary for the prosperity of the South.
* "Cotton is King": A speech delivered in 1858, where he argued that cotton was the economic engine of the South and that it gave the region significant power in national politics.
* Other writings: He also authored several articles and essays on various topics related to agriculture, economics, and politics.
It's important to note that Hammond's writings are highly controversial due to his strong defense of slavery and his racist views. While they offer a glimpse into the ideology of the Southern planter class during the antebellum period, they are considered deeply problematic and offensive by modern standards.