Biography of Jefferson Davis: The 5 Most Interesting Published Works on Confederate President

The biography of Confederate President Jefferson Davis remains an often-discussed topic because of the leader’s controversial role in history.

Memorials to the leader were drawn into a national debate about Confederate symbols in the wake of the June 17 shooting at a South Carolina church, with vandalism of the Jefferson Davis monument in Richmond, Virginia, and a statue at the University of Texas at Austin, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch and USA Today.

Here are some prominent writings on Davis and the confederacy.

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1. The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government
This two-volume work was written by Davis to memorialize and honor those who served and perhaps even lost their lives for the Confederate cause, according to AbeBooks.com. Davis wanted to depict how a nation rose in preserving its rights against a larger power for independence.

2. The Other Jefferson Davis
Humanities, the magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities, took a unique look at the fallen president of the Confederacy, depicting him as the individual he was prior to departing the Senate to join Mississippi as it seceded from the Union. The article focuses on his role in making the additions to the Capitol building, providing a hall for the House of Representatives and one for the Senate.

3. Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief
This biography by James M. McPherson examines Davis’ large role in his Confederate States of America losing to the North in the Civil War. McPherson looks as Davis not as an incompetent leader, but an experienced professional on the wrong side of history. The Daily Beast named it as one of the best biographies of 2014.

4. Jefferson Davis, American
This book by William J. Cooper, Jr. was declared to be one of the best recent biographies of the Confederate president by The Papers of Jefferson Davis. Cooper’s depiction of Jefferson’s life shows the move from a reluctant secessionist to a committed Confederate, and suggests that the South was more loyal to the ideals of the founding fathers and their revolution than the North.

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5. Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour
William C. Davis’ biography was also praised by The Papers of Jefferson Davis. Davis depicts the historic man with whom he shares a last name – though there is no relation – in a sympathetic light, looking into the more personal thoughts behind Davis’ decisions and actions. From his early life to his time after the Civil War, the author looks at how the fallen president grew to become a leader in the South’s war for independence.

Related Stories:

• Kentucky History: 8 Events That Shaped the State
• Brief History of Confederate States of America