Over the years of its history, the United States of America has gone from a British colony to a powerful sovereign state, claiming world leadership. It was a complex historical process, at certain stages of which various political figures clearly emerged, leaving a noticeable mark in the formation of the state. One of them was Jefferson Davis, a brief biography of which is given in this article.
Young offspring of a family of slave owners
Jefferson Finis Davis was born on June 3, 1808 in Kentucky. He was the fifth child in the family of a local farmer, and received his name in honor of the creator of the text of the Declaration of Independence - Thomas Jefferson, whose father was a passionate fan. The childhood of the future president of the Confederate States of America passed among the cotton plantations, on which hundreds of slaves belonging to his father worked, so it is not surprising that the slaveholding spirit became an integral part of his nature.
As a native of a wealthy family, Jefferson Davis was educated at the prestigious Transylvanian University, after which, at the request of one of the congressmen from his state, he was enrolled in the West Point Military Academy, which he barely managed to graduate in 1828, as he was a notorious discipline violator and impassable lazy.
Short-term happiness
The next seven years, his officer career, although with difficulty, but moved up, when suddenly, unexpectedly for everyone, Jefferson resigned. The reason turned out to be quite romantic - the service prevented him from marrying the daughter of the regimental commander Sarah Taylor, whom he had fallen in love with - the future father-in-law did not want his daughter to face the unsettled army life.
After retiring, he achieved what he wanted, but fate only wanted to give young people only three months of happiness, after which Sarah unexpectedly died, contracting malaria. Heartbroken, Jefferson Davis spent several years in complete retreat, not wanting to see even the closest people. But time took its toll, and little by little he came back to life, unexpectedly for all seriously taking up politics.
The beginning of the political path and a new family
In this field, he showed much more zeal than in the walls of the military academy, and soon became a prominent figure among activists of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi. His career was progressing so successfully that in the next presidential election of 1844, Davis was already on the electoral college.
Then he met his future wife Varina Houel, who came from a wealthy and respectable family. Despite the difference in age - the bride was eighteen years younger than him, their marriage was long and happy. The spouses had six children, but three of them were not destined to live to adulthood.
Mexican War and Continuing a Career
In 1846, the local conflict between Mexico and the United States escalated into war, and Davis considered it his duty to join the Mississippi regiment. There he served under the command of his former father-in-law, General Taylor - the father of his first wife. Being a brave and decisive man by nature, Jefferson repeatedly distinguished himself in military operations, especially covering himself in the battle of Buena Vista and the siege of Monterrey.
When in 1847 one of the congressmen from the state of Mississippi passed away , the governor, taking into account the great merits of Davis, invited him to take a vacant seat. Accepting this proposal and becoming a senator, Jefferson declared himself as a serious political figure. He spent four years as a member of Congress, after which he resigned to stand for election to the Mississippi Governor, but failed, and temporarily retired.
At the head of an unrecognized state
His political career continued after the next president of America, Franklin Pierce, appointed him Minister of War. In this new capacity for himself, Jefferson Davis made great efforts to create a transcontinental railway line, which he considered essential for maintaining the country's defense capabilities. He also contributed to the widespread modernization of the armament of the army.
By 1861, relations between the South and the North of the United States had become extremely aggravated due to issues related to slavery. As a result, thirteen slave states withdrew from the United States. The union they formed was called the Confederate States of America, and Jefferson Davis was soon elected president. It should be noted that the state created in this way was not recognized by any of the countries.
Sunset career
After the outbreak of hostilities, which took the character of a civil war, Jefferson Davis, whose photo is presented in this material, seized the fullness of power, both civil and military, trusting government posts only to his close friends.
This caused a wave of discontent in the Confederation, especially intensified after a series of obvious miscalculations made by him and his cabinet. At the same time, the military superiority of the North became more and more noticeable every day, since much greater human and industrial resources were concentrated there. The situation was becoming critical.
Prisoner of Fort Monroe
The events were particularly acute after the assassination of April 14, 1865, killed US President Abraham Lincoln. From his earliest days, his successor, Andrew Johnson, openly accused Jefferson Davis of the crime, and appointed a large reward for his head.
The war ended with the victory of the northerners, and on May 10 of that year, Jefferson Davis was arrested. Yesterday’s idol of the crowd and a successful political leader was placed in the casemate of Fort Monroe, where he was kept chained by the leg to the wall for a long time. There he spent more than two years in anticipation of the trial, which never took place. In 1867, the prisoner was released on bail, and then amnestied by the next president of America, Andrew Johnson, who came to power.
last years of life
Jefferson Davis, whose biography is an example of an extraordinary career rise and the ensuing fall, after his release from prison, was no longer able to return to politics. Once, he tried to run for the Senate again, but was refused on the basis that, according to the US Constitution, a person who had violated the oath — that was how his participation in the war was on the North’s side — did not have the right to hold a public office.
Using the old connections and experience gained during his years in power, Davis spent several years in financial activities, being the president of a large insurance company in Memphis. In his free time, he wrote memoirs. The post-war period, which went down in history as “reconstruction of the South,” includes a number of statements made in private conversations by Jefferson Davis. He spoke of slavery abolished as a result of the victory of the northerners as the only possible form of blacks being in America. He categorically did not allow the possibility of granting them equal rights with the white population of the country.
He died on December 6, 1889 from pneumonia obtained during a visit to his plantations in New Orleans, and was buried there in the tomb of the North Virginia Army.