State of Disunion: Davis, Lincoln & The Duelling Speeches of the Civil War Era

On February 18th, 1861 Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America. It was the first and only time in the young American nations history that there were two democratically elected Presidents of American States. The Confederate attempt at secession from the Union would not be a peaceful revolution. Beyond the gunfire and smoke of the battlefields, a war of printed words and public speeches was well underway. The battlefield of public opinion and foreign recognition was just as important for winning the overall war as were the actions of soldiers. This book is a collection of the most important public speeches given by President Abraham Lincoln and President Jefferson Davis, as both individuals attempted to steer their nations through the bloodiest civil wars in western history. The collection includes their inauguration speeches, state of the union addresses, as well as the Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. It offers a rare insight into the minds of two competing Presidents as one attempts to start a new nation, and the other tries to bind the old union back together.