Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in November 1861, many southern whites feared that their economic security and cultural identity, especially as represented by the institution of slavery, would be threatened by a government dominated by the Republican party. Between 20 December 1860 and 1 February 1861, seven southern states—South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas—seceded from the Union in protest. On 4 February, their representatives met at Montgomery, Alabama, to form the Confederate States of America (CSA). Four additional states—Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina—joined the Confederacy in April and May after Lincoln called for troops to quell the rebellion, and the Civil War began. This doubled the white population of the would‐be new nation, to 5.5 million (plus 3.7 million blacks, mostly slaves), and enabled the Confederacy to fight for its independence. Kentucky and Missouri sent representatives to the Confederate Congress, but these two states' legislatures never officially recognized the new government. The CSA's capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia, in July 1861.

The most rabid secessionists, known as “fire–eaters,” had been agitating for a separate southern nation for years, but with secession now accomplished, these radicals gave way to more moderate leaders like Jefferson Davis, who became president of the Confederacy. Initially, all Confederates agreed that the government should adhere to a doctrine of states' rights. However, Davis soon realized that his government must wield more power, even at the expense of the states, if it hoped to win independence. His decision to institute military conscription (a first in American history), suspend habeas corpus, and nationalize segments of the economy angered both powerful state political leaders and many common folk. In addition, perhaps as high as 40 percent of white Southerners had opposed secession. Thousands of these “unionists” created turmoil by enlisting in the U.S. Army, organizing peace movements within the South, and resisting Confederate authority. As casualty lists grew, hope of foreign intervention faded, and inflation drove down the value of the Confederate dollar, even many loyal rebels became alienated from the government.

A revolutionary political experiment in many respects, the Confederacy finally collapsed in April and May 1865, with the fall of Richmond, the surrender of the CSA's armies, and the capture or flight of its political leaders. Some southern whites would long romanticize the “Lost Cause” of the Confederacy, but its legacies were chiefly involuntary; slavery was abolished and secession was decisively discredited as a viable political option.
See also South, The.

Bibliography

Emory M. Thomas , The Confederate Nation, 1861–1865, 1979.
George C. Rable , The Confederate Republic: A Revolution against Politics, 1994.

Daniel E. Sutherland