The Rise of the Confederate Government (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

by Jefferson Davis, Ben Wynne (Introduction)

Overview

In this account of the life and death of an idea and social system, Jefferson Davis addresses the underlying principles of the Confederate experiment and the resultant calamity of the Civil War. He discusses the background issues of the conflict—the political ideas and events leading to the secession of the eleven Southern states. He defends the South’s right to secede, calling the act “Constitutional” and the actions of the Federal Government “Unconstitutional.” Davis further claims the war had nothing to do with America’s “tame” version of slavery. Though historians have discredited most of Davis’ arguments, his book has become key to understanding the enduring notion of “The Lost Cause,” the view that a noble Southern way of life was sacrificed, that the South was overmatched by a wealthier and more powerful—but not morally superior—North.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781435120662
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble
Publication date:	10/15/2010
Series:	Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading
Pages:	736
Sales rank:	1,111,684
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 2.00(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Jefferson Finis Davis (1808-1889) was born in Kentucky and grew up in Mississippi. He was elected to Congress from Mississippi in 1845 and, later, to the Senate. President Franklin Pierce appointed him Secretary of War in 1853, but during the growing sectional crisis, Davis returned to the Senate and followed his state when it seceded. When the Confederacy crumbled, Davis was captured and spent two years in Federal prison. In his later years, with his reputation in eclipse, Davis wrote The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, which was published in 1881.