Thesis on "Lincoln or Jef Davis"
Thesis 7 pages (2536 words) Sources: 1+ Style: APA
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Historiographical Analysis of Jefferson DavisAlthough the commanders-in-chief of the Union and Confederacy received their full measures of criticisms during and following the end of the Civil War, the martyrdom of the Union's Abraham Lincoln seems to have absolved him of many of the harsher attacks that his counterpart in the South Jefferson Davis has been forced to endure over the years. Indeed, everyone loves a winner, the adage advises, and this has certainly been the case with Lincoln. Conversely, and especially in Davis's case, many observers hate a loser and this sentiment is reflected in the primary sources from the era as well as in the historical record in subsequent years as well. Although another adage suggests that "time heals all wounds," the wounds inflicted on the South were no quick to heal and it was more than a full century before the role played by Davis during the Civil War began to receive a more balanced appraisal from most historians. To trace this shift in opinion concerning Davis and his actions during and following the Civil War, this paper provides a review of the primary and secondary literature followed by a summary of the research and salient findings in the conclusion.
Review and Discussion
Just over half a century had passed when Eckenrode (1923) wrote his biography of Jefferson Davis, who he notes was born in Kentucky in 1808 near the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln who was born in 1809. Although Davis and Lincoln were contemporaries to this extent, Eckenrode suggests that is where the parallels leave off: "Davis, in later life, was something of an aristocrat, in obedience to the social law of his section, just as Lincoln
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In addition, like another president, Richard Nixon, Jefferson Davis was also elected to a term that he would not be able to complete. According to McPherson, "Jefferson Davis was inaugurated to his full six-year term as president on February 22, 1861 (until then he had been provisional president). He conceded in his inaugural address that 'after a series of successes and victories, we have recently met with serious disasters'" (quoted at p. 21). The characterization of the setbacks which the Confederacy had experience as "serious disasters" can be viewed in retrospect as understatements, but Davis was fighting a war that as the war progressed, he increasingly recognized he could not win but he felt that it was his duty to prosecute the war to its ultimate conclusion in hopes of securing terms from the North and alleviating the suffering that was its unfortunate concomitant. For example, the wounds of the Civil War will still apparent when in 1937, McElroy wrote that, "Davis' view was that 'violence, on the one side, and extreme measures on the other, now, will dissolve the Union; but if they will give me time, all is not lost' -- a sufficient answer to the later propaganda which made him an arch-conspirator, seeking with mad ambition to tear down the structure which he had sworn to defend" (p. 259). From Davis's perspective, though, the Confederacy held the high moral ground and these points are made time and again in his book, the Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.
In an essay by Dirck (2002), the point is made that Davis remained unrepentant for his role in the South's defeat. In this regard, Dirck notes that, "In 1881 Jefferson Davis published the Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, his contribution to the growing literature of the Lost Cause. As the Confederacy's ex-president, he was in a unique position to write an insider's account of the short-lived Southern nation" (p. 237). Although the book by Davis had a number of literary and moralistic flaws from Dirck's perspective, the overriding issue that emerged from this book was its self-serving purpose. According to Dirck, "Dry and colorless in its narrative, legalistic and utterly without humor in its style, Rise and Fall was most of all self-righteous. Never once in nearly thirteen hundred pages of text did Davis admit a mistake, either by himself personally or by the Confederacy" (p. 238). Although the Union's track record was certainly not spotless when it came to, for example, the defense of civil liberties during the Civil War, Dirck emphasizes that Davis engaged in many of the same violations but that the former president simply overlooked these transgressions in his book. In this regard, Dirck writes that, "Davis largely passed over in silence the more thorny policy initiatives of his own administration -- the military draft, impressment of civilian goods, declarations of martial law, and suspensions of the writ of habeas corpus -- saying in effect to the reader that his record in these matters was so above reproach as to require no defense" (p. 238). Clearly, though, some defense is in order because even modern historians continue to cite these actions in a negative light. For instance, Brick-Turin (2004) notes that, "The Confederacy was far less democratic than it set out to be. The necessity of raising funds resulted in an income tax, contrary to its constitution and in advance of its Northern adversary. And like its rival, the Confederacy was quick to suspend habeas corpus and draft men for the army -- again contrary to constitutional prohibitions" (p. 585). From Davis's viewpoint, though, the Confederacy was justified in taking these steps while the Union was not, a bit of military hypocrisy that was not overlooked by his contemporaries or by historians ever since.
For instance, according to Sutherland (2002), "Davis cites instances where Union troops had behaved far more barbarously than the worst Rebel bushwhackers and irregulars. As the Federals dealt ever more harshly with both guerrillas and the citizens who harbored or assisted them, Davis found himself in the awkward position of defending the guerrilla war he had always deplored" (p. 260). Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the historical record makes it clear that Davis was a desperate commander-in-chief. In this regard, in July 1862, Davis lamented to Robert E. Lee that, "We find ourselves driven by our enemies by steady progress towards a practice which we abhor and which we are vainly struggling to avoid" (quoted in Sutherland at p. 260). The actions taken by Davis during the Civil War can be viewed as being reprehensible, and many contemporary observers and historians adopted this position to be sure, there was more to the man that his brief tenure as the president of the Confederate States.
Nevertheless, as the leader of the losing side, Davis was the natural target for the animosity that remained after the war drew to its bloody conclusion. For example, according to Cooper (2003), "In four years of bloody warfare that claimed 600,000 American lives, the United States smashed the Confederate states. Even though Davis and his cause failed, the vastness of the war and the profound consequences… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Lincoln or Jef Davis" Assignment:
Historiography project: Examine the interpretation of one specific topic by more than one author and from more than one period of writing.
Definition: Historiography is the study of how written history is created and evolves, based on a critical examination of the underlying sources, how the authentic materials were selected and used, and how the author*****s syntheses of material was developed into a narrative, that should be able to stand against the test of critical research methods. Primary source material is original documentation created by an eyewitness, participant or author of an original document. Secondary source materials are those created by newspaper accounts developed from interviews, commentary by others on an event or person, books/articles/papers written by anyone who was not a participant in the event or is not autobiographic.
Goals: Through this project, you will be introduced to the basic methodology of written history. The project will help you develop a larger view of the study of history, in order to have a better understanding of how history is *****constructed***** and/or as preparation for in-depth study of historiography in HIS440. That will be accomplished by moving you away from the memorization / repeating of names, dates and places or from stopping with one author*****s view as authority - to a view that is broader, more developed, critical and analytical. To reach that ultimate goal, you will tackle smaller goals by:
Examining how the author of the text under study treated the selected topic (favorably/unfavorably).
b. Reviewing the primary and secondary sources which the author used to develop his/her presentation, seeking to determine if he/she presented the information as in the original or if it has been altered, slanted or taken out of context of time, place and events.
c.Then find other resources on the same topic to see what primary and secondary sources were used and if they differ from the text under study. Even if a second author used the same source material, you should analyze how that material is used and presented to shape the ultimate perspective on the subject.
d. Briefly examine how depictions of the subject have changed or been modified through time or location.
The ultimate goal is find the most accurate sources relating to the original event, in order to develop the least unambiguous knowledge about the subject. In doing so, you should begin to develop the skills of identifying bias in writing, and preconceptions within yourself. While eliminating all bias is not truly possible, limiting, isolating and coming to terms with how both an author*****s and our own bias greatly affect one*****s perspective on and understanding of an event or person in history.
Assignment:
Select one of the seven characters who figured prominently in the Civil War and whom you find of special interest.
Abraham Lincoln
Jefferson Davis
Examine how McPherson (2001), generally treated that figure, (use your notes and the index in the back of the text to focus your research).
Review the major events related to the person selected and corresponding description(s), depictions and incidents listed in the index. For each, examine the notes, footnotes and references McPherson cited in order to determine:
What primary and secondary source material did he use?
Are there hints about any method that he may have used to shape the information?
What was the context of the incident(s)? Did McPherson keep that context clear *****“ allowing the events/persons to *****speak***** for themselves?
Determine what materials were primary sources (i.e., eye witnesses statements, personal accounts) and which were secondary (i.e., accounts by others of the events who were not participants).
If possible review the original material, particularly the Official Records. The Official Records of the Civil War can be electronically word searched and examined at: http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse.monographs/waro.html
Examine two to three other sources concerning the selected figure looking for differing opinions, accounts, depictions etc, in opposition or support of McPherson*****s interpretation and explain the differences or corroboration. (You should look beyond Wikipedia, and not use it as one of the two to three sources consulted.)
As a result of the research and reading, you should be able to produce a paper which explains briefly the nature of the character examined, how the person has been depicted by McPherson and others and give an informed opinion as to why or how those depictions were developed and how they deviate/comply with the primary source material.
Instructor Notes:
Be selective determining how far you are going to take the subject. Those four figures loom large in the text and in the Civil War and may present a larger project than you care to do or have time to produce. If you have questions, please contact your instructor for suggestions about narrowing or approaching the subject in a practical manner. For example, if examining Lincoln, you might select one of the categories listed by McPherson in the index on pp. I-15*****”16, such as Lincoln *****“ *****as commander in chief***** and focus only upon the data used to shape the presentation in that selection of references from the McPherson text.
How to Reference "Lincoln or Jef Davis" Thesis in a Bibliography
“Lincoln or Jef Davis.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2009, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/historiographical-analysis-jefferson/99202. Accessed 27 Sep 2024.
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