Alfred H. Stone Collection
Volume: 15

4. Alexander H. Stephens, “African Slavery, the Corner-Stone of the Southern Confederacy. A Speech by Hon. Alexander H. Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederate States of America, Delivered at the Atheneum [sic], Savannah, March 22, 1861,” in The Pulpit and Rostrum. Sermons, Orations, Popular Lectures, &c. (New York: E. D. Barker, 1862), 65-78.

Speech by the Vice-President of the Confederacy in which he argues that slavery is the primary reason why the Confederate States of America was formed. Mr. Stone has marked several paragraphs of this speech, particularly this one. “One of the most striking characteristics of insanity, in many instances, is forming correct conclusions from fancied or erroneous premises; so with the anti-slavery fanatics; their conclusions are right, if their premises are. They assume that the negro is equal, and hence conclude that he is entitled to equal privileges and rights with the white man. If their premise were correct, their conclusion would be logical and just; but their premise being wrong, their whole argument fails.”