March 21, 1861 – Confederacy VP Alexander Stephens Declares Slavery as “the Immediate Cause of the Late Rupture and Present Revolution”

On this day in history the recently elected vice president of the Confederacy spoke about the “Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America,” adopted on March 11. He emphasized:

“The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution African slavery as it exists amongst us the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution. Jefferson in his forecast, had anticipated this, as the “rock upon which the old Union would split.” He was right. . . . The prevailing ideas entertained by him and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old constitution, were that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically. . . . This idea, though not incorporated in the constitution, was the prevailing idea at that time. . . .

Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.”

Alexander H. Stephens. Oil painting by John White Alexander. Published as cover of “Harper’s Weekly,” 27:145 (March 10, 1883), via Wikipedia

Apparently this history is not taught in American schools, however, as evinced even by presidential candidate Nikki Haley. “MAGA” supporters also, who tend to come from less educated walks of American life, also are unaware of the cause of the Civil War.