Constitutional Law and the Classics
Following the death of Davis' first wife, Sarah Taylor, this future president of the Confederacy was so shocked and grieved that for seven years afterwards he remained something of a recluse. When not building his land into a model plantation he read considerably of "constitutional law and the classics" in his elder and wealthy brother Joseph's library. During these lonely years Davis' main companion was his Negro overseer James Pemberton, who had served him as a body servant while Jefferson had served in the military in Wisconsin.
Jefferson Davis' Views on Slavery
Jefferson Davis was a Jeffersonian Democrat and was "dedicated to the principle of state rights under the Constitution." The ideas he held concerning slavery, or that "peculiar institution" as slavery was often referred to, inherited from his father and George Washington, dictated that slavery was a "stepping stone" for the Negro to become perfect. Evidently, meaning to become more like the white man, the same concept held towards attempts to civilize the Native Americans.
However, Davis' attempts at this "perfection" of his slaves, unlike numerous other slave owners, included allowing them to hold their own courts and set their own punishments. He also educated "the best of them."
Slavery and the Cotton Trade
On the economic side of slavery, Davis fully believed that slavery was a temporary necessity in order to develop the cotton trade in the South as New England's textile industry at that time depended on southern cotton.
In spite of this dependency on Black slave labor, Jefferson believed that gradual emancipation, at some time in the future, would come for the Africans and that they should be prepared for this responsibility called freedom.
During those years after the death of his wife, he eventually became a successful planter and developed a deep devotion to Southern plantation life. His own attitude toward his slaves led him to deny fiercely all Northern claims that slavery was cruel.
Jefferson Davis continues with: Confederate President Jefferson Davis: Buena Vista and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
Previous: The Loves of Jefferson Davis: Sarah Taylor and Varina Howell.
Sources:
Collier's Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Crowell-Collier Educational Corporation, 1968.
Comptons, The Complete Reference Collection. CD Rom, 1997, The Learning Company, Inc.
