Cornerstone of the Confederacy : Alexander Stephens and the speech that defined the Lost Cause / Keith S. Hébert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hébert, Keith S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stephens, Alexander H. (Alexander Hamilton), 1812-1883--Influence.

Stephens, Alexander H.

Stephens, Alexander H. (Alexander Hamilton), 1812-1883.

White supremacy movements--United States--History.

White supremacy movements.

Slavery--Southern States--Justification--Sources.

Slavery.

African Americans--Southern States--Social conditions--19th century.

African Americans.

Racism--Southern States--History--19th century.

Racism.

Race relations.

History.

Intellectual life.

Social conditions.

Justification (Christian theology).

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Anniversaries, etc.

United States.

Southern States--Intellectual life--Sources.

Southern States.

United States--Race relations--History--19th century.

African Americans--Social conditions.

Anniversaries.

Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.).

Intellectual life--Sources.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 285 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Knoxville : The University of Tennessee Press, [2021]

Summary:

"This book traces the curious history of the Cornerstone Speech. Alexander H. Stephens's defense of the new Confederacy, delivered on March 21, 1861, the Cornerstone Speech was an uninhibited overture to a new nation founded on white supremacy and slavery, and an instant sensation. While the speech is widely cited, no full-length treatment of the work and its legacy exists - and it is poorly understood. Hébert examines how Stephens initially considered it, then how, with the help of others, he reinterpreted it to shore up major tenets of Lost Cause ideology after the Confederacy was defeated on the battlefield. The book also shows how this reactionary interpretation would inform Neo-Confederate ideas that abide to the present day in American culture"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Laying the cornerstone, 1830-1860

The Cornerstone Speech, 1861-1865

The origins of a dishonest intellectual tradition, 1865-1883

Emancipationists strike back, 1865-1883

Different things to different people, 1883-1911

Civil War semicentennial, 1911-1915

Old times there are not forgotten, 1915-1965

Heritage and hate, 1990-2019.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Hébert, Keith S., Cornerstone of the Confederacy

ISBN:

9781621906346

1621906345

OCLC:

1204265213