How did Jefferson Davis view slavery?

Answer 1

Jefferson Davis said: " The condition of slavery with us is, in a word, Mr. President, nothing but the form of civil government instituted for a class of people not fit to govern themselves. It is exactly what in every State exists in some form or other. It is just that kind of control which is extended in every northern State over its convicts, its lunatics, its minors, its apprentices. It is but a form of civil government for those who by their nature are not fit to govern themselves. We recognize the fact of the inferiority stamped upon that race of men by the Creator, and from the cradle to the grave, our Government, as a civil institution, marks that inferiority." - He said this in the Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on February 29, 1860.

Jefferson Davis was a staunch believer in states' rights. It was his interpretation of the constitution, his belief that the United States was a voluntary union of sovereign states, that actually led him to become the president of the confederacy. In the years leading up to Mississippi's break with the union, the northern states and the federal government were submitting the southern states to abnormal pressure. Basically, the federal government saw the southern states as captive consumers of the northern factories. When the southern states looked overseas for trade, the northern companies through their congressional influence imposed biased tax laws upon the southern consumers. Finally, the south said "we've had enough". The south sent a represetative body to Washington, seeking an audience to discuss peaceful resolutions, but President Lincoln refused to see them.

The south did not declare, nor did they fight, a civil war. By definition, in simple terms, a civil conflict is where one party tries to overthrow the government of another party. The southern confederacy did not try to overthrow the US federal government. the southern states simply wanted to be left alone, to pursue a government that they thought was more just. Rather than look for a peaceful resolution, the federal government knew that the confederate states produced over 75% of the agicultural products of the United States. The federal government did not want to relinguish control over that much prosperity.

How does this relate to Jefferson Davis' view of slavery? Simple. Slavery was part of the economic condition in the south. Davis viewed slaves as property and defended his stance by citing the constitution. But Davis also knew the obvious immoral problem of slavery. He was, as was most of the southern plantation owners, struggling with the solution. But the immediate problem with the formation of the confederacy and the position that the federal government took when it came to heavy-handed governing, caused his public position on slavery to take a back seat.

Davis was in favor of reviving the slave trade and dreamed of a slave-holding empire that included Cuba, Mexico, and farther south. He also showed no interest in territories that did not allow slavery. During the Civil War, he was careful to avoid the appearance of being pro-slavery because he hoped that England, Russia, or France would assist the Confederacy. England and Russia were firmly against slavery and France would not get involved alone.

In one of his speeches, Davis is credited with telling either the US congress or the congress of the confederacy (I can't find the document and I don't remember which speech) that slavery would disappear from this country within two more generations, perhaps sooner.

Some of the biggest benefactors of slavery were the owners of shipping lines residing in the northern states. So don't be too quick to judge the South. Slavery was, and is, an appalling practice that scarred the lives of so many. The world has evolved in many ways, and many of the practices in the history of our planet were barbarious. It is not difficult to understand that our part of the world had to go through the same evolutionary changes. Hopefully we have learned from our past.

Comment: I find it quite ironic that the username of the person who wrote this answer is "FactChecker1" but there isn't a single citation.