Jefferson Davis has been criticized for his handling of the Confederate Presidency. Do you think this is fair? How does Davis compare to Abraham Lincoln as president?
2007-10-30 04:53:59 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
The criticism of Jefferson Davis is both unfair and inevitable. The very concept of the Confederacy, which strongly supported the concept of States Rights, in which the states were virtually autonomous, and a much weakened Federal government, made Jefferson Davis job impossible. The states he represented, did not recognize his absolute authority over them. They were never going to be happy with anything he did. So he did nothing.
When the war started to go badly, his performance was vulnerable to criticism from his own side as well as the obvious attacks from the other side. His motivations were purely patriotic, as he would define it, and he was a competent administrator, but in the end he was destined to be the hapless fall guy for a lost cause.
2007-10-30 08:15:14 · answer #1 · answered by righteousjohnson 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't compare. It is like comparing apples to oranges. Both thought they were right, both thought it was a just cause, both were hampered by money and military, neither were actually very effective.
2007-10-30 12:55:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Since he backed a losing cause, he can't get very high marks!
2007-10-30 12:02:25 · answer #3 · answered by Wounded Duck 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋