Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky in 1808; one year before Abraham Lincoln. When he was young, he moved to Mississippi. He was a very intelligent individual who attended West Point Academy along with Robert E. Lee. His military career included fighting in the Black Hawk War in 1832, before resigning in 1835. For most of his life, Jefferson Davis tended to his plantation in Mississippi. In 1845, Davis began his political career when he was elected to Congress as a Democrat. These beginnings were short-lived, however. When the Mexican American War broke out, Davis resigned his position to command a Mississippi regiment. This decision to lead, and his victories in the position, won him a lot of recognition for his political future. Following the war, he was elected to the Senate, where he argued for the right to slavery and opposed the admittance of California as a free state. His views were considered very radical in Mississippi, and he stepped down in 1851. In 1853, Jefferson Davis became the Secretary of War under President Pierce. When the Pierce administration left office, Davis returned to the South as a Democrat to defend slavery. When the Confederacy was formed, Jefferson Davis had hopes for a significant military role. Instead, he was elected President of the Confederate States of America in 1861. Despite being passionate to the Confederate cause, he assumed way too heavy of a burden for any one man during his presidency.
"Never be haughty to the humble, or humble to the haughty."
-Jefferson Davis
"Never be haughty to the humble, or humble to the haughty."
-Jefferson Davis