Book Review: Jefferson Davis, American

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Just from the title, you can see the favorable impression the author has of Jefferson Davis. Davis always thought of himself as an American. He believed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution allowed individual States to secede when the Federal Goverrnment overstepped it's authority to regulate. This book does have a Southern perspective and that makes it worthwhile for a Yankee to read. I did not realize how significant Davis was in our Federal system. If the times were different, Davis could have been president of the United States. He was a very powerful and influential U. S. Senator and was a logical choice to head the Confederacy. Davis was a believer in the Union so his resignation from the U. S. Senate, he said, was the hardest decision he had ever made in his life.

Davis graduated from West Point and fought in the Mexican-Amercian War. His early attempts to become an elected official in Mississippi were failures. he was devoted to his wife but placed his work ahead of his marriage. This caused friction in the family but was resolved when his wife became a prominent hostess in Washington and Richmond society.

The book points out the struggle Davis had with Confederate states and their demand for State's rights over the centralized Confederate government. While he supported the rights of each State to determine its own course, he came to recognize the need for a strong central government for the Confederacy, if only to coordinate the war effort. As early as December, 1862 Davis said, "Put not your trust in princes and rest not your hope on foreign nations. This war is ours; we must fight it ourselves." Davis was very active as the Commander in Chief to a fault. He became too involved in the minutia. There is no question that Davis believed in the superiority of the white race.

Davis was brought to trial for treason but the case dragged on because the Union did not know how to handle Davis's popularity and feared martydom. He refused to ask for a pardon because he felt he had done nothing wrong. Finally, on Christmas Day, 1868, Davis and all other participants in the rebellion were given amnesty by President Johnson.

This book will provide you with insight into Davis's thought processes and the fight for what he felt was for justice and the survival of the Southern way of life.