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Jefferson Davis Character Traits

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Often when the Civil War is brought up, it strikes a particular image: Abraham Lincoln, brothers killing brothers, and a Northern victory the South will barely discuss to this day. However, the man who was Abraham Lincoln’s counterpart is often forgotten for the role (or lack of it) he played in the Civil War: Jefferson Davis. The Confederate president was faced with multiple issues that could have overwhelmed even the best of leaders. However, his overall flaws in character and leadership also contributed to the South’s fall. He was hastily thrown in a situation in which he had to put together an entire government and mobilize forces for the impending war with the North. Overall, Jefferson Davis’ shortcomings of character, mismanagement as …show more content…

Davis attended the United States Military Academy in 1824, fresh off of graduation from Transylvania College in Kentucky. Davis would graduate in 1828 as a mundane 23rd in his class out of 34 (Civil War Trust). A fellow cadet described Davis as “distinguished in his corps for manly bearing and high-toned and lofty character” (Biography.com). These characteristics are not traditionally correlated with relating to a new rebellion that was made up of lower class individuals. Jefferson is also described as being “ill-tempered, brittle, and unwilling and unable to grow with responsibility,” ( Cooper 80). Someone trying to run a country who is ill-tempered and acts with a lofty attitude is not going to accomplish much when they inevitably encounter the raucous personas and egos associated with politics, and Jefferson was no exception. However, Davis’ lack of a quality personality also leads to questions regarding his dedication to the Presidency of the Confederate …show more content…

Individual state’s governors opposed him openly, as did a few of his generals including P.G.T Beauregard who “claimed” Davis held him back from attacking Washington D.C. (Crews, 2004). The Confederate Congress could not get along, and when Davis’ asked for a three year conscription law, the Congress was incredibly short-sighted and agreed to only one year of conscription for troops (Strode, 2015). This limited the amount of cohesion that the Confederate Army could create and experience that troops would receive. Jefferson’s own appointed vice president, Alexander Stephens, opposed everything Jefferson did and criticized him harshly (Crews, 2004). Two men who were supposed to work together in coordination ended up barely managing to withstand the others presence (Crews, 2004). It is clear to see that Jefferson Davis was politically surrounded by people who refused to help him start a functioning government, and was incapable of identifying individuals that would allow Davis’ plans to have a chance of success by Davis’

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The Civil War is one of the bloodiest wars in American history, but what started it? What did it lead to? In the book, “Two Miserable Presidents”, by Steve Sheinkin, the author explains events that led up to the civil war and how they were finally resolved through the leadership of Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the book, we learn about the causes of the Civil War through anecdotes and we learn “everything your schoolbooks didn’t tell you about the Civil War.” He gives a humorous 13 step guide in ripping a country in two and names each section of the book a with a captivating yet true title.

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1.Page 11 notes,”Jeffersons plan for freeing his own slaves included an interim educational period in which they would have been half-taught, half-compelled to support themselves on rented land; for without guidance and preparation for self support, he believed, slaves could not be expected to become fit members of a republican society “. When I first red this a few questions popped up, why didn 't this plan ever follow through. I also would 've like to ask Jefferson what is his definition of fit and what requirements would have made a slave become a “fit” member of a republican society. Next on page 21, “We might go farther and say that it came without a decision. It came automatically as Virginians bought the cheapest labor they could get”.

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Retrieved April 25, 2016, from http://www.historynet.com/why-the-south-lost-the-civil-war There was no specific author to this article; it was a collection of many historian 's opinions of Jefferson Davis and the outcome of the Civil War. It was a collection of pieces on why the South lost the war. I used the pieces that specifically named Davis as examples of some of the mishaps and bad decisions that were made during the war. This is different than the other pieces because it gives many different opinions on why the south

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The Army of Tennessee was set up for failure from the beginning because of Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s decisions, when it came to allocating generals and resources. With Davis’s primary focus on the Army of Virginia, the Army of Tennessee fell on the back burner and ultimately led to the overall defeat of the Confederacy and the end of the Civil War. His poor choice in generals to lead the Army of Tennessee led to ineffective communication, poor planning, and lack of supplies amongst the army throughout the entire war. Gideon Pillows lack of respect for Davis was shown as he commanded the Army of Tennessee originally, as well as his lack to follow orders and communicate effectively to the capital on his whereabouts and problems

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This was an advantage that the South had over the North during the war was that the South had outstanding military leading generals. Stonewall Jackson had a great impact on the battle and was greatly respected for the work that he had done during his lifetime. Even when people thought that his military career was going to be cut short he still went out and helped at a University to teach and train future generals and prepare them for war. Stonewall Jackson will be forever remembered by the U. S.

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Jefferson Davis altered when he became the President of the Confederate States of America because he was the one who led the rebellion to a very brutal war in American history. He also was the one who started the war because he could have ordered the confederate troops to not fire on Fort Sumter, but he lets the soldiers fire on it and is the cause of the war and leads to many American deaths. He could have saved a lot of American lives by making a treaty, but that obviously did not happen.

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The two leaders I found for the Union side was Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln these two men were the leaders of the Union side. On the other hand two leaders of the confederacy army were Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis . The leaders on the Union side contributed to the course of the Civil War by training their army and making them stronger. Jefferson was someone that did not like to turn down his people and Lincoln was a man who was known for his hard work. Jefferson turned down when his mind wasn’t up to it.

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In this paper we will talk about how Jefferson dealt with diversity, and displayed traits of Transformational Leadership as a Visionary Leader. Additionally I will talk about how Jefferson used

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Throughout history, there have been a plethora of debatable individuals that have been studied profusely by historians. Each and every one has their own arguments for and against their beliefs, actions, and personal life. Possibly one of the most controversial figures of American history, Jefferson Davis had a tremendous impact on the United States of America and the short lived Confederate States of America before, during, and after the Civil War. Along with the majority of prominent dignitaries of the past, Jefferson Davis came from a relatively normal and conventional background.

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From November 1860 to May 1861 we have had 11 of our Southern states secede from the United States of America. They threatened to secede if our current president Abraham Lincoln was elected into office. The reason all 11 states seceded is because they believe that the government was becoming too strong, and they didn’t want them to tell them how they could live and how they couldn’t. In other words they didn’t want the government to tell them if they could have slaves and if they couldn’t. The Southerners felt that if they stayed with the United states that the Northern states would begin to control them.

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Why did you choose to take on this role? Why not cave? Why not follow the leadership of the union? Jefferson would respond in relation to the need for the south to have slavery in order to produce crops as presented in who made influenced his decision. It was a selfish matter.

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Grant did his best to teach Jefferson that he had worth and it paid off. “If I ain’t nothing but a hog, how come they just don’t knock me in the head like a hog? Strab me like a hog? More erasing, then: Man walk on two foots; hogs on four hoofs” (220). This quote demonstrates how Grant made a difference in Jefferson’s life and taught him to be a man of self worth.

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The American Civil War changed Americans and their ideals about freedom in many ways. Northern and Southern United states began to have simmering tensions for the states’ rights versus federal authority, plus westward expansion, and slavery had huge effects on the states. An election which made anti-slavery Republican Abraham Lincoln the president of the United States of America in 1860, caused seven of the southern states to concede from the Union to make The Confederate States Of America soon after four more joined afterwards. It changed Americans in many ways as neighbors fought each other through the 4 gruesome years of the war. Conflict between the sides were like fights between brother and brother instead with many deaths.

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There are many advantages and disadvantages to the Civil war. First off, the differences between the presidential leadership will be discussed, and how different each had very different leaders, then I will discuss the transportation problems, and lastly I will discuss the industrial production between the North and South. The presidential leadership during the civil war wasn’t, as someone would expect. Abraham Lincoln was the North’s leader during this time period. Lincoln had very little war experience; some say Lincoln didn’t look the part as a military leader.

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in under nearly impossible circumstances. Jefferson Davis was known for his integrity. He was not always as upfront as he might have been when dealing with difficult people certain situations, but he witnessed a strict code of conduct with respect to money and gifts. He had ridiculous experiences in public affairs. He was a public speaker, known for his logic.

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