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ABRAHAM LINCOLN & JEFFERSON DAVIS.
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Compares presidencies of leaders of North & South in Civil War. Politics, leadership, personalities, flexibility.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Compares presidencies of leaders of North & South in Civil War. Politics, leadership, personalities, flexibility.
Paper Introduction:
This paper will compare and contrast the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. During the American Civil War, Lincoln served as president of the United States, and Davis served as president of the Southern Confederate States. Over the course of the war, Lincoln proved himself to be the better president. This was not simply because the Union won the war, but also because Lincoln was more capable of leading his government and his people. Davis' failures as a leader were partially due to circumstances beyond his control. For example, the war effort in the South was complicated by economic problems, the lack of support from other nations, and the fact that the North had greater military strength. However, it can also be seen that Davis had weaknesses in his personality as well as in his role as a public figure. Specifically, Davis's pride and arrogance
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Buchanan, Lamont. (1987). The European leadersturned against Davis because the South claimed to be fighting for freedom,and yet "the humans she enslaved guaranteed her doom" (Jordan, 1978, p.118). Jefferson Davis was raised in a wealthy Southern family. In addition, both were known as"courteous, gentle, admirable men" (Buchanan, 1951, p. New York: AmericanHeritage. Jordan, Robert Paul. Davis's pride and arrogance often caused him tomake poor decisions during the Civil War, and, perhaps worse, to stick tothe poor decisions that he had made. Davis, Burke. This causedharsh conflict between Davis's Confederate government and the variousSouthern state governments. In addition, Lincoln lackedthe pride and arrogance which proved to be detrimental in Davis's politicalcareer. New York: Random House. had to create such a government in order to win" (Catton, 1985, p.2 3). As noted, some ofthe factors which caused the South to lose the war were due tocircumstances beyond Davis's control. However, there were a number offactors which were within his control. However, it can also be seen that there weremany aspects of Davis's private life which caused him to make mistakes inhis career as a public figure. As a result, the South was not able to complete its desperatestrategy of holding out until the North became tired of the war. 1 3). Thus: "Davis was unable to negotiate aworkable alliance between the conflicting ideologies in the South. The long surrender. Many historians havenoted that Lincoln was far more flexible during the war than Davis was.For example, Catton has stated that "the determination and the flexible butunbreakable will that kept on waging war in the face of all manner ofreverses had been his" (Catton, 1985, p. In this regard, "his intense loyalty provedto be both a strength and a weakness; he would not countenance criticism ofthose in whom he believed and was obstinate about his appointees andpolicies" (Bowen, 1987, p. This was clearly an important factor in the Union'seventual victory in the war. It may be noted that Lincoln was often criticized for his actionsduring the course of the Civil War. Both menwere strong and determined in the careers. His ownadministrative cabinet was often at odds with him over matters ofpresidential or wartime policy. 118). From this, it can again be seen that there were many factors in theCivil War which were beyond Davis's control. 2 4-2 5). In the long run, however, Lincoln was the moreeffective leader. In contrast to Davis, Lincoln also received more support from his ownadministration and his Congress. The Civil War. 1 5). Davis served as aSenator and as Secretary of War under President Pierce. 2 3). It soon became obvious that the Northand the South would have to go to war in order to settle their differences. This blockade made it impossible for Southerners to ship goods inor out of their ports. In contrastto Lincoln's leadership, Davis was never really able to pull his cabinet,his Congress, his individual states, and his people together as a unifiedwhole. Because ofhis upbringing, Davis was able to receive an excellent military educationat the West Point Academy. . Bowen also points out that Davis's difficulties were partly due to theproblems of the South itself. A few months later, Davis was elected as President of theConfederate States. By contrast, Davis failed as awartime leader because of his poor leadership traits. This is true not only because Lincoln led the Union inwinning the Civil War, but also because of the leadership traits whichenabled him to accomplish this task. Whereas Davis felt that slavery was animportant institution for maintaining the economy of the South, Lincolnfelt that slavery was a violation of human rights and that it should beabolished under all circumstances. References Bowen, John. The issue of slavery also proved to be a detriment to theSouthern war effort. These problems were compoundedby the fact that Davis found it difficult to delegate authority to others.The strongest factor in causing Davis's failure, however, was that he wasunable to maintain a unified effort among the Southern states. Both men were great orators, and both entered thefield of politics in the years prior to the Civil War. As the war waged on, Davis was forced to assume a strategyin which he simply hoped that the South "could outlast the North's will tofight" (Jordan, 1978, p. 117). In the fall of 186 , Lincoln was elected as President of the UnitedStates. 1 5). Burke Davis has indicated that Davis "failedto exert authority over certain governors who put the welfare of theirstates above that of the Confederacy" (Davis, 1985, p. The conflictbetween the Southern states created a powerful political challenge. Although he was an excellent wartimeleader, Lincoln occasionally made mistakes in terms of military strategy.Nevertheless, Lincoln was successful as a wartime leader because he wascapable of giving the Northern people what they wanted. This was a point of view withwhich most Northerners agreed. TheSouthern war effort was hurt by the fact that Davis was not a strong enoughpresident to meet this challenge. Because of this, many peoplebelieve that Davis did his best to win the war but that the odds weresimply stacked against him. Both men heldstrong beliefs and felt that they were fighting for an important cause.However, Davis and Lincoln held different ideological beliefs which putthem at odds with one another. Like Davis, Lincoln often faceddifferences of opinion among his staff. Washington, D.C.:National Geographic Society.----------------------- 6 The fact that Lincoln was re-elected in 1864 is a sign of his success as a presidential leader. Specifically, Davis's pride andarrogance caused him to make many hasty decisions during the course of thewar which proved to be detrimental to the Confederacy. By contrast, Abraham Lincoln was raised in apoor Illinois family. At that time, the Confederate States were in theprocess of seceding from the Union. A pictorial history of the confederacy.New York: Crown Publishers. Furthermore, because of his pride,Davis felt that he had to control everything that went on in hisadministration. However, as noted by the historian John Bowen,"Davis was less successful than Lincoln in using it" (Bowen, 1987, p. Catton, Bruce. The two men also held contrastingbeliefs on the issue of slavery. As a result, the South was unable to raise themoney that it needed to maintain the war effort. For example, the war effort in theSouth was complicated by economic problems, the lack of support from othernations, and the fact that the North had greater military strength.However, it can also be seen that Davis had weaknesses in his personalityas well as in his role as a public figure. Although Davis was in favor ofindividual state's rights, he found it necessary to centralize theConfederate government in order to maintain the war effort. As a result, Lincoln received a great dealof support from the people that he led. However, the strongest opposition to Davis's policies camefrom the Congress of the Confederacy. Like Davis,Lincoln also had to deal with problems in relations with his Congress. Asin the case of Davis, Lincoln had to seize more centralized control duringthe course of the war. (1985). 118). Civil War expert Bruce Catton has claimedthat Davis was "a rigid man . These personalitytraits also prevented Davis from effectively controlling the ConfederateCongress and his own administration, as well as the various stategovernments that made up the South. 2 4). Inaddition to the lack of military supplies, the South experienced severeeconomic problems during the Civil War which contributed to its downfall.Early in the war, the North was able to create a blockade against theSouth. Whereas Davis believed in the importance ofindividual state rights, Lincoln believed that the national governmentshould have power over the states. Furthermore, the Southerntroops were not able to obtain enough food to keep them healthy and fitduring the war. Both men were determined in their efforts and committedto their respective causes. 117). This paper will compare and contrast the presidencies of AbrahamLincoln and Jefferson Davis. Civil war days. In their terms as president, as well as in their private lives, bothDavis and Lincoln showed important strengths and weaknesses. Catton has claimed: "Lincoln had a suppleness which Davis lacked,his political experience had taught him how to win a political fightwithout making personal enemies of the men he defeated, and he had as wellthe ability to use the talents of self-assured men who consideredthemselves his betters" (pp. . . Despite his strong military background, Davis was not veryeffective in leading the Southern states through the war. Bowen has claimed that Davis "wasunpopular with his Congress throughout the war" (Bowen, 1987, p.172). 23 ). In this regard, Catton has noted that theproblems in Davis's cabinet hurt the war effort in the long run (Catton,1985, p. Secaucus: Chartwell Books. (1978). Many historianshave claimed that this failure was due to the fact that Davis was"inflexible in office" (Jordan, 1978, p. Because of Davis's attitude, there wasnot much unity among his followers. By contrast, the North had an industrialeconomy which was able to support the building of war equipment. As a result, the Confederacy was not united in its effort to winthe war. 5 ). For example, the South hadfewer military supplies than the North. In addition to his ability to controlsituations, Lincoln was able to delegate authority whenever he found itnecessary. In contrast toDavis's struggles with the Southern states, Lincoln "had gained and kept,somehow, the confidence of the average citizen of the North" (Catton, 1985,p. The Civil War. As a result of his personality, Davis did not have strong supportfrom the various elements that made up the Confederate government. Lincoln's success as a leader was due in part to the fact that hewas fighting for a human rights issue. 167). In fact, Lincoln was a shrewd andclever politician who was able to gain control over almost any situation.In this regard, Bowen has pointed out that "Lincoln used humility as a toolto obtain political advantage and had confidence in his considerableabilities" (Bowen, 1987, p. This clash between ideology and wartime reality caused the variousSouthern states to be in conflict with one another throughout the course ofthe war. 5 ). This sharply contrasts the compulsiveness of Davis in hiseffort to control everything within his administration. (1951). When his followers failed to live up to his example,Davis told them "just how they were wrong, and his manner did not inspirethem to ask if he might be right" (p. Over the course of the war, Lincoln provedhimself to be the better president. Lincoln served onthe Illinois Legislature and in the House of Representatives. As a result of Lincoln'sleadership, the state and national governments in the North were unified intheir war effort. In contrast to Jefferson Davis, Abraham Lincoln was a successfulpresidential leader during the American Civil War. In addition, Davis's pride and arrogance caused him to makemany errors in terms of military strategy. Davis believed that he alone knew the right wayto get things done. 2 5). 228). Whereas the South wanted tomaintain the use of slaves for its agricultural economy, Lincoln believedthat it was important to free the slaves. 1 8). Because of the war, both Davis and Lincoln were able to obtain a greatdeal of presidential power. At that time, the economy of theSouth was agriculturally based. Because of this ideology, Davis was not able to gainthe much-needed support of the European nations. Maybeno one could" (p. However, "although some of themfought against him at times and tried to wrest leadership from him, theyadded strength to his administration" (Catton, 1985, p. Davis' failures as a leader were partially dueto circumstances beyond his control. proud almost to arrogance" (Catton, 1985,p. Bowen has claimed: "Lincoln was not lookingfor dictatorship; his aggressive actions simply accomplished quickly whatwould have taken Congress months to do, and Congress ultimately acquiescedin all of them" (Bowen, 1987, p. Whereas the South fought for individual staterights, a strong centralized government was needed during the war effort.It was ironic that Davis, "fighting against strong centralized government .. 1 8). During the American Civil War, Lincoln servedas president of the United States, and Davis served as president of theSouthern Confederate States. This was not simply because the Unionwon the war, but also because Lincoln was more capable of leading hisgovernment and his people. However, unlike Davis, Lincoln was fairlysuccessful in this effort. In the words of the National Geographicwriter Robert Paul Jordan: "He had the crucial task of resolving thecontinual conflicts between [the states], and it demanded greater politicalskill than Davis - proud, austere, and logical - ever possessed" (Jordan,1978, p. Civil War historian Burke Davis has noted that Davis foundit especially hard to delegate authority "in military affairs, a field inwhich he felt himself most competent" (Davis, 1985, p. (1985). For example, Lincoln's cabinet was farmore unified than that of Davis. Unable to afford an education, Lincoln taughthimself to be a lawyer. In analyzingthese strengths and weaknesses, it can be seen that Lincoln was overall thebetter president. It is obvious that theunexpected nature of war requires a leader who is extremely flexible.Other historians have claimed that Davis's pride was a detrimental factorin the outcome of the war. Thelack of support from Davis' administration and his Congress obviously had adetrimental impact on the Southern war effort, which was further hurt bylack of support from the individual states. In addition to these ideological problems, the South had manymaterial disadvantages during the Civil War. In this regard, historians havenoted that Davis was inflexible during a time when flexible leadership wasa necessity. Davis feltthat he knew the best way to handle all aspects of military strategy.However, "in the long run his insistence on handling even the smallestdetail harmed his person, his reputation, and the Confederate war effort"(Bowen, 1987, p. 12). As a leader, Davis demanded agreat deal from his followers.
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