According to Stephens, what is the “cornerstone” of the confederacy?, history essay help

Read the selection from Confederate Vice President Alexander H.

Stephens’ “Cornerstone Speech” of March 21, 1861, and then study the

Thomas Nast editorial cartoon, “The President’s Inaugural,” of March 23,

1861.

Based on these two documents, and what you have learned in your HIST 1301 class, consider these questions:

  1. According to Stephens, what is the “cornerstone” of the confederacy?
  2. Paraphrase Stephens’ main argument. What are Stephens’ fundamental assumptions about blacks and whites?
  3. Demonstrate how Stephens supports his argument. To what “authority” does he appeal?
  4. How does Stephens summarize the arguments of those who have a differing view?
  5. What does Nast’s cartoon say about how Lincoln is viewed in the South?
  6. What populations within the newly-formed Confederate States of America would be most hostile toward Abraham Lincoln, and why?
  7. To what extent did Stephens and Nast in particular, and most Southerners and Northerners in general in 1861, exhibit sensitivity and tolerance in dealing toward women and African Americans?