General Robert E. Lee uttered to Albert Bledsoe these important
words: "You have a great work to do; we all look to you for our
vindication." The "work" Lee was referring to was in essence a
Confederate political bible, that would clarify and explain the
principles of self-determination upon which the Secession from the
United States of America was based. Bledsoe was truly inspired to
write a most deftly argued book defending the South's "unthinkable"
action. This treatise, originally called Is Davis a Traitor?, is
finally returned to print in a new edition, with a new preface and
index. Albert Taylor Bledsoe (1809-1877) could be characterized as
a traditionalist, an "unreconstructed Southerner," a fighter for
various causes and a firm believer in the dangers of modernism and
foreign influence. Yet he was no stooge working for the Southern
"Brahmins"- he was an intelligent man of letters, soldier and
educator, clergyman and lawyer, friend of wealthy men, social
investigator, and seasoned traveler. Because of his intellectual
perspicacity, and his connections to important leaders in the
South, he became an apologist for the Southern Confederacy, and the
pre-war Southern "mentality." Is Secession Treason? represents the
pinnacle of Bledsoe's work. The centerpiece of his position is the
critical distinction between the words "constitution" and
"compact." Drawing from the texts of numerous political and
philosophical documents, he presents ample justification for the
assertion that the union of former colonies in the 1780s was
voluntary and not perpetual, and their inherent independence was
not taken away by their acceding to the "compact" that joined them.
Limitation on the power of thecentral authority over the states was
actually a key factor in the minds of the participants attending
the Constitutional Convention, as the author so ably proves. In the
pursuit of honesty and openness, Bledsoe strives to present both
sides of the debate, and states with great clarity and force the
positions of Webster, Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton, Calhoun and
many others. After careful reflection and analysis, he arrives at
two powerful conclusions: Secession was allowed under the
Constitution, and the military attack by the Federal government on
the Confederacy was illegal. So well-reasoned were his arguments,
that his book proved to be a source of material for the defense of
Jefferson Davis, President of the Southern Confederacy, from
charges of treason. Despite Albert Bledsoe's unwavering devotion to
his beloved homeland, one could say that his treatise is more of a
fair and balanced treatment of Secession, than many recently
published works covering the same subject. Paul Dennis Sporer has
edited other books that contribute to the understanding of the
complex social and political dynamics of the American Civil War
period, such as End of an Era, by John Sergeant Wise, Half a
Century, by Jane Swisshelm, and Tupelo by James Hill Aughey.
General
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