History of the Confederacy

History of the Confederacy: An Analysis


According to the article written by Stephaine McCurry, the Confederacy was an anti democratic society in which all men are not created equal. This was done to justify the continued use of slaves, and since not all men would be created equal according to this government, the white man is worth much more than a black man. According to Alexander Stephens the confederacy was created on this idea “Foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery is his natural condition. This, our new government, is the first in the history of the world based upon this great truth." There was even a clause included that made it impossible for future amendments to overturn slavery. Obviously, the South was financially benefitting from the use of slaves since their major export was cotton; they had free work in the form of slaves to do the work the white man did not want to do. In order for their new government to work, they must secede from the other states.
One of the major problems the Confederacy was by their own people. The slaves fought against a government that turned them into property and refused them any rights. However, this government also ignored an entire white population as well – women. Women were not happy being ignored when they too stood by their husbands, but according to the government they were no better than slaves. Another problem was that the institution of slavery limited the power of the federal government and weakened their side during a war. They were scrambling to protect their women and children; this left very few men there to fight. As Jefferson Davis once said, “Slavery was a form of government for those not fit to govern themselves: Slavery was the slaves' state, and masters the authority to which they owed allegiance.” This meant that the government did not have direct control over the...