Cornerstone Speech Analysis

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Slavery and its Contribution to the American Civil War

During the civil war in America, Alexander Hamilton Stephens served as the Confederate States of America’s Vice President, despite his previous reservations against Georgia’s secession, and later went on to become the governor of the state of Georgia. Stephens is best known for his considerably controversial speech referred to as the ‘Cornerstone Speech’ in Savannah, Georgia, during which he expressed his opinion and the Southern states’ position on slavery as an ardent supporter of the enslavement of the black race. In his address, he acknowledged the then new constitution’s provisions for the citizens’ fundamental rights. However, in accordance to the Confederate

States’ position, he refuted the recommended provisions for the equality of all races arguing that African Americans, who he refers to as ‘Negros’ had no place in the country’s form of civilization beyond that of slaves. This essay expounds on the Confederation’s approach to slavery and its contribution to the rift between the northern and southern states and consequently the American Civil War.
The Cornerstone Speech and The President’s Inaugural
On 21st March 1861, Stephens addressed the People of Georgia ten days after the inauguration of the Confederate constitution governing the seven Confederate states; Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and South Carolina, later joined by Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and finally Tennessee. In the speech, Stephens lauded the constitution for its inclusion of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the federal constitution such as religious liberty, and the right of life and agrees, with examples, on its being an improvement of the old one, albeit with some reservations (Stephens). Concerning slavery, the Confederation’s position on slavery, he argued, on which the confederation is founded and which is consequently the member states’ cornerstone, is in accordance with the creator’s ordinances. According to him, the black and white races are unequal according to God’s natural laws and attempts to view them as equal are seen as nonconformity to His laws, a premise he uses as justification for the stand against the abolishment of the practice (Stephens).
The President’s inaugural is an illustration of the reaction of the northern and southern states to the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as the President of the United States on 4th March 1861 (Bunker 29). In his inaugural speech, the president extended a plea for peace and continued friendship to the states in the south despite their different stances (Malveaux 862). The illustration, published in the New York Illustrated News, features an aura of peace in the north and one of war and violence in the south in a representation of how each faction sees the president, his election, and assumption of office. The north reacts to his election and assumption of office calmly and peacefully while the south responds to the same in a declaration of war against the non-confederate member states for their ideological differences in the understanding and interpretation of some issues, with the stance on slavery as the principal bone of contention.
Historical Significance
An anti-slavery movement began in the early nineteenth century.

The movement further included a gender perspective on the matter when Margaret Garner, an escaped slave, committed suicide and killed her daughter in what she considered a fate better than slavery, which she revealed was worse for female slaves compared to their male counterparts (Silk & Silk 7). Together with the increased reports of slave revolts during which some masters were killed in the southern states, the time around which the inauguration took place and the speech was delivered was marred with heightened hostility and the widening of the rift between the two factions supporting and against slavery; the southern and northern states

respectively.
The cornerstone speech recognized the confederation government as the first government in history to openly advocate for slavery and acknowledge the black race as subordinate to its white counterpart (Stephens).

At the time of speech and inauguration in 1861, the tension was high between the northern and the Confederate states, a situation which was aggravated by the two events. The situation escalated into a full-blown war on April 12 the same year, with armed forces from the Confederate states leveling an attack on a fort in Charleston in what marked the beginning of the American Civil War (Fitzgerald 8).

The Confederate Leaders’ Choices and Actions Leading to the Civil War

The leaders of the Confederate states, led by Jefferson Davis perceived Abraham Lincoln’s election as a threat to their culture and way of life, beginning with their enslavement of black people, against which his administration was ardent in opposition. This difference in ideologies led the government of the seven states to the decision to seek peaceful secession from the union which constituted the United States. After the failure of the union to recognize the Confederacy as a sovereign state, the rebellion began, lasting four years.

Conclusion
While there existed several issues which the southern states were opposed to leading to the secession, the proposed abolishment of slavery was primary. Under their leaders, the Confederate states’ opposition to the movement deepened the rift between them and the union. Consequently, a civil war erupted fueled by the vice president’s remarks and the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, as president.

Works Cited
Bunker, Gary L. "Thomas Nast's Rare Lincoln Political Caricatures." Illinois Periodicals Online 2001: 29-43.
Fitzgerald, Stephanie. A Civil War Timeline. Mankato: Capstone, 2014.
Malveaux, Ethan. The Color Line: A History. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation, 2015.
Silk, Catherine Silk & John. Racism and Anti-racism in American Popular Culture: Portrayals of African-Americans in Fiction and Film. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1990.
Stephens, Alexander H. “Corner Stone” Speech. Speech. Ashland: Ashbrook Center, 1861.