When the Southern states seceded in 1861, they made their decision due to multiple factors. However, no issue was as important or as influential in informing the decision about secession as that of slavery. Primary sources from the Confederate side demonstrate in great clarity that the peculiar institution was the foremost reason why the slaveholding states decided to break off from the Union. Both the Confederate Constitution and the “Cornerstone” speech demonstrate the eagerness to secure slavery and incorporate its ideological justifications into the political fabric of the country’s supreme law.
The “Cornerstone” speech given by Alexander Stephens on March 21, 1861, reflects the importance of slavery as the primary reason for Southern secession. The speaker openly admits that one of the major aims in drafting the new Constitution was to put to rest “all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution” (Stephens, 1861, papa. 5). However, the main value of this source for illustrating the importance of slavery as it related to the Southern secession lies in the motivation behind this attention. The “Cornerstone” speech reveals not merely the willingness to cement the peculiar institution constitutionally but also the desire to provide its ideological justification with the force of law. In Stephens’ (1861) own words, the new Confederate Constitution is meant to alleviate this shortcoming and adhere to “the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man” (para. 6). As such, the ”Cornerstone” speech demonstrates the willingness to not merely enforce slavery but to codify its justifications, signifying its central importance for the seceding South.
The Constitution itself also illustrates the paramount importance that the Southern states assigned to slavery by providing numerous provisions specifically designed to protect it. It outright states that no bill that in any way impedes the right to possess African slaves can or will be introduced under the new supreme law (“Constitution,” 1861). Apart from that, it addresses the specific issues related to the peculiar institution that was important for the slaveholders during the decades preceding the Civil War. In particular, the Confederate constitution guaranteed the right to pursue and recapture escaped slaves in the entirety of the country’s territory (“Constitution,” 1861). Similarly, it also clarifies that, regardless of state laws, no movement between the state borders may absolve a black slave from servitude – in a clear reference to Dred Scott (“Constitution,” 1861). In short, the Confederate Constitution is evidently and specifically designed to address all the misgivings that Southern slaveholders had about the perceived insufficiency regarding the legal protection of their rights to own human property.
As one can see, the Confederate Constitution and the “Cornerstone” speech alike demonstrate the importance of slavery for the South. The speech emphasizes the ideological justification of racial inequality and stresses the necessity to reinforce them with constitutional articles. Similarly, the Constitution includes numerous provisions specifically designed to address the Southern slaveholders’ insecurity about their property rights as related to bonded labor.
References
Constitution of the Confederate States. (1861). Avalon Project. Web.
Stephens, A. H. (1861). “Cornerstone” speech. Teaching American History. Web.