States rights Flashcards
Topic sentence
Some historians such as Frank Owsley argue that the issue of states’ rights was the most important reason for the defeat of the Confederacy.
Evidence 1 - Goveners
The Confederate states initially seceded from the Union because they resented the control that the Union had over their own state; they were committed to the notion of states’ rights. This meant that when Davis tried to control the whole Confederacy during the war, he was met with bitterness. The states put their own rights before the Confederacie’s, highlighting that the nation lacked a sense of nationalism. For example, Govener Brown of Georgia refused to send Georgian troops to the front as he was against his solider fighting in states that they were not from. This weakened the Southern fight against the Union because it meant that their forces were less powerful as they lacked manpower. Therefore, it contributed to a Confederate defeat as the lack of Southern unity meant that each state was essentially fighting its own battle, while the Union was fighting as one big nation.
Counter analysis
However, despite Governers such as Brown criticizing Davis’s administration, they can be praised for helping the Confederate war effort. Indeed, they helped raise regiments, helped equip the Confederacy with arms, built coastal defenses etc, which suggests that despite being concerned about states’ rights they still took initiative to help the Confederate war effort.
Evidence 2
Furthermore, there was open resentment to the introduction of conscription. Davis introduced a Conscription Act on 16th April 1862, which declared all able-bodied white male citizens ages 18 to 35 liable for three years of service. Many states saw this as a direct attack on states’ rights, arguing that it contradicted what the South was fighting for. Additionally, rich men could avoid the act by hiring a substitute from the group of people not liable for duty. This contributed to a Confederate defeat as it highlighted that the war was a rich man’s war, but a boor man’s fight. Many Southerners felt less inclined to help with the Southern war effort because they felt as though they were risking their lives to fund slavery and the lifestyle of rich people.
Evaluation
Overall, the issue of states’ rights can be seen as an important factor when explaining the defeat of the Confederacy as historian Frank Owsley argues that the Confederacy “died of states’ rights”, suggesting that their lack of unitedness contributed to their defeat. However, this can’t be seen as the most important reason as even if the Confederacy fought as a United nation, their manpower and resources were still significantly less than the Unions, suggesting that they were initially at a disadvantage.
