Slavery and the Constitution Alexander Hamilton Stephens was a congressman from Georgia and the former leader of the Whig party. He was one of the most important opponents of succession in the South, but he did later become vice president of the Confederacy. In “The Cornerstone Speech,” Alexander Hamilton Stephens discusses the foundation of the new nation that is to be formed. The new nation will be formed around the idea of slavery and Stephens openly states that slavery was the main cause that the succession of the South happened. Overall, Stephens hoped that his message would persuade some of the reaming slave states to succeed from the Union and join the Confederacy. The main claim that Alexander Hamilton Stephens is trying to make in
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The text says, “It is the first government ever instituted upon the principles in strict conformity to nature…” (92). He claims that the new government that is to be established is the first of its kind because it will be conformed to nature. The foundation for the government will fulfill this idea of conformity. The point that he is trying to make is that since the slaves were created by a deity and their purpose should not be questioned because if it was questioned it would break the rules of nature. He also discusses how other forms of government are violating the laws of nature and establishing the new government is one of the ways that the Confederacy can be conformed with the laws of nature since they are often looked down upon because of the use of …show more content…
Towards the end of the text, Stephens shows glimpses of how the new constitution might impact the future. According to Stephens, “…Our object is peace, not only with the North, but with the world” (95). The entire purpose of forming a new constitution is that peace will be reinforced. The South is constantly looked down upon from the abolitionist north because of the use of slaves in the production of raw materials. However, putting the issue of inequality at the forefront is believed to help resolve the issues between the two. Stephens even goes so far to say that the idea of war may become less threatening. One can see now that this idea was not effective. The North and the South eventually went to war and once the war ended there was still issues that each had to face. The idea of the South being in control of their future is a valid point. Events like the Dred Scott Decision and the Missouri Compromise created tension and ultimately these led to the Civil War and the South had some influence on the outcomes of many of these events. This is just one example of how the South was in control of their future. The repetition of the word “cornerstone” is used purposefully in order to Stephens to prove his point. A cornerstone forms the corner of a building and essentially joins two walls; it is the foundation. The foundation for the success in
The text says, “It is the first government ever instituted upon the principles in strict conformity to nature…” (92). He claims that the new government that is to be established is the first of its kind because it will be conformed to nature. The foundation for the government will fulfill this idea of conformity. The point that he is trying to make is that since the slaves were created by a deity and their purpose should not be questioned because if it was questioned it would break the rules of nature. He also discusses how other forms of government are violating the laws of nature and establishing the new government is one of the ways that the Confederacy can be conformed with the laws of nature since they are often looked down upon because of the use of …show more content…
Towards the end of the text, Stephens shows glimpses of how the new constitution might impact the future. According to Stephens, “…Our object is peace, not only with the North, but with the world” (95). The entire purpose of forming a new constitution is that peace will be reinforced. The South is constantly looked down upon from the abolitionist north because of the use of slaves in the production of raw materials. However, putting the issue of inequality at the forefront is believed to help resolve the issues between the two. Stephens even goes so far to say that the idea of war may become less threatening. One can see now that this idea was not effective. The North and the South eventually went to war and once the war ended there was still issues that each had to face. The idea of the South being in control of their future is a valid point. Events like the Dred Scott Decision and the Missouri Compromise created tension and ultimately these led to the Civil War and the South had some influence on the outcomes of many of these events. This is just one example of how the South was in control of their future. The repetition of the word “cornerstone” is used purposefully in order to Stephens to prove his point. A cornerstone forms the corner of a building and essentially joins two walls; it is the foundation. The foundation for the success in