Summary Of Jefferson Davis Inaugural Address

“History is written by the victors.” This commonly referenced proverb is self-evident, but this makes the story of the “losers” all the more interesting. The Southern attempt at secession, something that represents an American failure and a triumph, polarized an entire country. While the inspiring words of the Abraham Lincoln are commonly referenced, Jefferson Davis, the first and only President of the Confederate States of America, often has his speeches and influence swept aside. Davis’s inaugural address in early-1861 was meant to represent the infant country’s thoughts at the time, but it was also a pre-cursor to war. Therefore, the address was also meant to act as a moral justification and logical reasoning for what could be considered a nation-wide crime against the government. …show more content…
He wanted his perspective to prevail, so he chose his words in a way that the connotation would be very clear. The word slavery is not used once, instead, “the rights of person and property” is used. The North’s reaction to the secession was not an attempt to preserve the union, it was instead “an act of wanton aggression.” They are “entitled” to their rights, a call to military service is for the “purposes of defense,” and exploitative cotton business is simply the “export of a commodity required in every manufacturing country.” The entire justification for secession and war would fall apart without a morally righteous component, and Davis’s diction ensured that the justification would not fall apart under the stress of morally questionable