Core Evaluation Essay: Cornerstone Speech

Core Evaluation Essay: “Cornerstone Speech”

The Cornerstone speech was made by Alexander Stephens, the vice president of confederacy on March 21, 1861. To Alexander Stephens the blacks and the slaves were not equal to the whites but could have rights like education and marriage. The whole speech was over the North and South wanting separation because the disagreement over the North wanting the blacks to have equal rights meaning take away slavery. Abraham Lincoln who was the president around the time of the speech was for the North and Alexander Stephens the vice president of the confederate was for the South. The North were trying to enforce the constitution and equal rights for the slaves, while the South wanted to succeeded from the North and to become the Confederate States of America. In the cornerstone speech, Stephens explains his views on the North and South states with the main focus on equal rights of slaves and gives his opinion on what to do if changes are not made.

Alexander Stephens point of view from the cornerstone speech was he believed in slavery and that the blacks were not equal to the whites which means they should not have equal rights, but he did strongly believe in everyone having

an education and even being able to get married and have children. Stephens explained in his speech that the “corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition” (Stephens2), meaning that the blacks were not equal to the whites. Stephens was very religious and supported the South because he feels that god created the blacks unequal and that the North were trying to make everything difficult with making equal rights for everyone, more emphasized on the blacks and slaves. Since Stephens was for the South and Lincoln was for the North many decisions were split because of the different views.
The South and North were split because of opposite opinions, Stephens who was the vice president of the confederate would of course agree with the opinions of the south.

As many southerners explained including Stephens, is that “Slavery thus defined the South” that created “and any attempt to lure the errant slave states back into the union required unprecedented negotiating skills and a willingness to compromise” (Goldfield399). Stephens explained that if the North and South could not agree then that they need to be appointed to the head of congress and let them decide the decision on what needs to be done. The cornerstone speech was made by Alexander Stephens to explain his views on the North and South with the main focus on slavery and their rights as

humans.
Thomas Nast created a cartoon about the views of North and South on Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural. cartoon of Lincoln is viewed by the South as if Lincoln wanted to declare war because he was defending the North as well as the constitution. Lincoln was with the northerners and they both believed that the slaves should have equal rights just as the whites do, so the states that would be most hostile to him are the Southerners and the ones who do not believe in the equal rights of slaves and the blacks. Alexander Stephens and Thomas Nast both believed that education was very important to everyone including women and African Americans. The north the south believed the same thing except they disagreed on having equal rights with the blacks. Overall the Cornerstone speech made by Alexander Stephens explained his opinion of slavery and the rights of blacks, also the disagreements between the North and South.