Jefferson Davis is a towering figure in United States history. Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. Distinguished Service as a United States Army Colonel in the Mexican-American War. Governor of the State of Mississippi. United States Senator. Committee member for the creation of the Smithsonian Institution. Overseer of the expansion of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Involved in the Gadsden Purchase, to acquire the land for the Transcontinental Railroad that would traverse The United States.
But the greatest achievement of Jefferson Finis Davis, that which cemented his place in American history, particularly in the South, was his service as the President of the Confederate States of America.
June 3 is the birthday of Jefferson Finis Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. This day is a legal holiday in the State of Florida. Today, we Floridians honor this great man, who was President over the sovereign nation of our great-grandfathers.
Jefferson Davis was a great American. Prior to the War Between the States, Jeff Davis served as a U.S. Representative, and then United States Senator, from the State of Mississippi.
He was a Colonel in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War. He fought valiantly and distinguished himself at the Battle of Monterrey.
Jefferson Davis was appointed to the office of Secretary of War in 1853 by U.S. President Franklin Pierce.
Jefferson Davis is the architect of the United States Capitol building.
Jeff Davis was instrumental in the Gadsden Purchase, primarily because it would aid in establishing a Transcontinental Railroad.
When the Scotsman James Smithson gave $508,000 to the United States for the "establishment of a Smithsonian Institution, for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men", Congressman Jefferson Davis played a fundamental role in the creation of the Smithsonian Institution.
The Smithsonian Institute says of Jefferson Davis, in regard to his place in the Confederate States of America:
"The man and the hour have met,' announced the Alabama fire-eater William L. Yancey, when Jefferson Davis was inaugurated President of the Confederate States of America. Davis was a reluctant secessionist, hoping that the South would remain loyal to the Union. But when the secession movement gained momentum in early 1861, he dedicated himself to the cause of independence.
"Davis brought more experience to his presidency than Abraham Lincoln did to his. A graduate of West Point, he fought honorably in the Mexican War and had been nominated for brigadier general; he had served as a United States senator and later as governor of Mississippi; and he had been an able secretary of war under Franklin Pierce. As President of the South’s hastily formed government, he faced the twin difficulties of repelling invading Northern armies and appeasing Southern states’ rights advocates who challenged his efforts to build a unified Confederate nation."
In his memoir, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government", Jeff Davis said that each state was sovereign and had an unquestionable right to secede from the Union.
However, Jefferson Davis counseled delay among his fellow Southerners, because he did not think that Abraham Lincoln would permit the peaceable exercise of the right to secession.
Having served as Secretary of War under President Pierce, Jefferson Davis knew that the South lacked the military and naval resources necessary for a prolonged war against Abraham Lincoln and the Federal Government of the United States.
President Jefferson Davis, Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia
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Regarding the closure of the Civil War:
The Confederate States of America NEVER SURRENDERED. President Davis and his Cabinet members dissolved the Government of the CSA in Washington, Georgia on May 5, 1865.
President Davis was NEVER TRIED FOR TREASON against the United States, based upon the advice of Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon Chase.
The CIVIL RIGHTS of Jefferson Finis Davis were RESTORED by President James Carter in the year 1978.
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There are countless Memorials in America dedicated to Jefferson Davis.
An entire mountain range in west Texas is named for Jefferson Davis.
The largest bas-relief sculpture in the world, on Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia depicts President Davis, along with Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
On Monument Boulevard in Richmond, Virginia, the statue and memorial of President Jefferson Davis is in line with statues of General Robert E. Lee, General Stonewall Jackson, and General J.E.B. Stuart.
Today we honor a great American. A Veteran of the United States Military. A visionary, a planner, a leader, a Congressman, a Senator, a governor, a cabinet member serving under a United States President.
And we Southerners especially remember President Jefferson Finis Davis for leading the sovereign nation of our grandfathers, the Confederate States of America.
President Jefferson Finis Davis
June 3, 1808 - December 6, 1889
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Footnote:
The author of this article is very much aware of the Political Correctness that is attempting to destroy and re-write American history. But no amount of indoctrination, book-burning, or destruction of statues and monuments will ever change the important role in American history that was performed by Jefferson Davis.
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