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. He was born on June 3, 1808 in the town of Christian County, Kentucky to Samuel Davis and Jane Cook Davis. He was the last of ten children, and his parents gave him the middle name “Finis”, meaning “final” in latin. Interestingly, he was born only eight months before his rival leader, Abraham Lincoln, and only about a hundred miles away. His family had a notable military history with his dad fighting the …show more content…
Davis attended a great deal more schooling than the average person in his time period. Jefferson was a student at a boarding school in Bardstown, Kentucky. Soon after he completed boarding school in Kentucky, he enrolled at Jefferson College in Mississippi. He soon transferred to Transylvania University, returning again to Kentucky. By President James Monroe’s request, sixteen year old Jefferson enrolled at the West Point Military Academy (“Who Was Jefferson Davis?”). Four years later, he graduated West Point twenty-third in a class of thirty-four(“Jefferson Davis Biography”). This shows that as a cadet, he was only average, if not considered below that. However, after graduating West Point, he was assigned the position of Second Lieutenant of the first infantry and participated in the fighting of the Blackhawk war of 1831 (“Early Military