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Rating: 
Summary: A Biased Perspective
Review: Having had the privilege and the honor of viewing at my leisure an original of this Volume 1, I am wondering why Mr. McPherson did not include the original Index; nor headings of chapters on each appropriate page, as in the original. Jefferson Davis was right in his account of the war of northern aggression. It is not possible to emphasize more strongly than has been done in the other reviews of this book, that Davis' works ought to be studied by any serious student of the U.S. Constitution and constitutional history. However, to expect that proper instruction on the truth about those events would be taught in the schools of the descendants of those people who emerged victorious, is naive. Suffice it to say that the truth will be perpetuated only by those willing to make the effort to do so.
Rating: 
Summary: YES, it DOES Matter!
Review: I strongly feel that it does matter a great deal whether Davis or Lincoln was correct. And I don't think that correctness is 'determined' by who has the biggest sword. In other words, 'might doesn't make right'. And it is sad that one of the issues over which state sovereignty was argued was the slavery issue. It is also sad that northerners weren't so sympathetic with abolitionists until after slavery became either outlawed or unprofitable - when it was, they were fine with it. Anyone who enjoyed this book MUST also read 'America's Caesar' by Durand .... His book goes into much more detail over the question of state sovereignty. The right to secede wasn't questioned until all of the founding fathers had passed away and their personal reactions and testimony could no longer be given. Also, one much remember that in 1830, the transcripts of the debates at the constitutional convention were still 'locked' and were not available to the public. The right of secession was not only acknowledged prior to the 1830's, but it was one of the most sacred rights. William Rawle's (a Federalist even) textbook 'A View to the Constitution of the US' even held that states had the right to secede and this book was used as a textbook at West Point up until the early 1840's and is still in the West Point library to this day. What changed things was when a man named Story wrote another opinion (again after all the founding fathers were dead and could no longer speak) that the Union was perpertual and that states 'drew their very breath from the Union who created them'. Even Lincoln himself, in 1850 acknowledged in a speech that states had the right to secede. But after succombing to Story's distorted and incorrect logic, he because a 'perpetualist' following the theory that 'once in there is no way out' (of the Union). This would be akin to marrying someone and there being no divorce or even separation available no matter how horrid the circumstances. It is sad that this issue cannot receive national debate even in this day and time so that all can be aired - now that we have the advantage of TV and internet and all could hear and participate. Read this book and the one I have referenced if truth matters to you at all. Jefferson Davis was Right. It is just sad that slavery was made the issue of whether or not to sustain state sovereignty.
Rating:
Summary: YES, it DOES Matter!
Review: I strongly feel that it does matter a great deal whether Davis or Lincoln was correct. And I don't think that correctness is 'determined' by who has the biggest sword. In other words, 'might doesn't make right'. And it is sad that one of the issues over which state sovereignty was argued was the slavery issue. It is also sad that northerners weren't so sympathetic with abolitionists until after slavery became either outlawed or unprofitable - when it was, they were fine with it. Anyone who enjoyed this book MUST also read 'America's Caesar' by Durand .... His book goes into much more detail over the question of state sovereignty. The right to secede wasn't questioned until all of the founding fathers had passed away and their personal reactions and testimony could no longer be given. Also, one much remember that in 1830, the transcripts of the debates at the constitutional convention were still 'locked' and were not available to the public. The right of secession was not only acknowledged prior to the 1830's, but it was one of the most sacred rights. William Rawle's (a Federalist even) textbook 'A View to the Constitution of the US' even held that states had the right to secede and this book was used as a textbook at West Point up until the early 1840's and is still in the West Point library to this day. What changed things was when a man named Story wrote another opinion (again after all the founding fathers were dead and could no longer speak) that the Union was perpertual and that states 'drew their very breath from the Union who created them'. Even Lincoln himself, in 1850 acknowledged in a speech that states had the right to secede. But after succombing to Story's distorted and incorrect logic, he because a 'perpetualist' following the theory that 'once in there is no way out' (of the Union). This would be akin to marrying someone and there being no divorce or even separation available no matter how horrid the circumstances. It is sad that this issue cannot receive national debate even in this day and time so that all can be aired - now that we have the advantage of TV and internet and all could hear and participate. Read this book and the one I have referenced if truth matters to you at all. Jefferson Davis was Right. It is just sad that slavery was made the issue of whether or not to sustain state sovereignty.
Rating:
Summary: Economical and easily available reprint of a classic
Review: In this extremely well-written book, not only does President Jefferson Davis give critical insights on the events leading up to and including the War for Southern Independence (rare and very important in and of itself, given that he was the president of the Confederacy), but he also shows that he was a Constitutional scholar unparalleled by today's crop of so-called "experts". President Davis was a reluctant secessionist. In fact, he had been working on trying to come to a compromise until his state seceded, and he returned home. This book does a great deal to show the character of the former president of the Confederacy, with his perceptions of events leading up to the war itself. For instance, he did not envision himself to be the president of the Confederacy, believing that position should instead go to Albert Johnston. Instead, he had thought he would receive a commission as general. While there is plenty of information for virtually anyone interested in that period (there is detailed information about battles, insights by the president on figures living at the time, etc.), what truly makes the book such a fascinating read is the constitutional analysis (particularly regarding the secession question, but also going into the grievances by the Confederate states as well) found therein. If there is a negative to this book, it is the poorly-written introduction by leftist and Lincoln apologist McPhearson. I don't know why he was chosen to write the forward, but it is best ignored. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a magnum opus in Southern literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Great, but imcomplete
Review: No body other than the great political Scientist, military Strategist, and brilliant President of the independent Southron States (from 1860-1865) could have placed a written Work together, to inform the Government-indoctrinated Automatons the Truth about Constitutional Construction and the Accuracy of its seperation of State and Federal Powers. Any body who had the most unfortunate Chance of attending Government-blighted public Schools should read this Book, and learn the Truth about how the Federal Military Empire known as These United States of America, invaded, conquered, pillaged, burned, destroyed, subjugated, and assimilated the Southron Race into their own tyrannical Society.
Rating:
Summary: Dropping Foreword Would Move This to 5 Stars
Review: The foreword in this offering is written by James McPherson, a statist academic studying in politically correct institutions. While his opinion is certainly legitimate, it should not be relied upon to decide whether or not to read President Davis' account of what was happening at the time. No review would be better than one slanted to inculcate the modernist's view from 140 years away.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Analysis of the Constitution
Review: This book should be required reading in all classrooms, and should further be owned by anyone who would like to understand the truth behind the Confederacy, and the unconstitutional war that followed the secession of the Southern states. President Davis shows himself to be a preeminent constitutional scholar with his in-depth analysis of the 10th Amendment and the inherent right of the states to secede from the union into which they voluntarily entered. While this book was difficult for President Davis to write, due to the hardships he endured during and after the war, we should all be thankful that he took the time and conducted the research that went into this well-written and very informative book. There are a great deal of insights into the inner workings of the Confederate government, but this book is worth far more than the price of admission for the constitutional analysis, and for the way he explains how the war started, and the duplicity of the Lincoln cabinet during the critical months prior to the first shots being fired. The only blemish on this edition is the ridiculous "introduction" by James McPhearson. Why someone was chosen to write an "introduction" to a book of this magnitude who has no understanding of the issues discussed by President Davis, and who wants only to make petty comments about the man and the cause that he fought for is a question to which there is no answer. This book would have been a far better package without the apologist nonsense that hides under the title of "introduction", and it's recommended that this part of the book be ignored by serious students of history and the Constitution. This is an eye-opening book that will forever alter your perceptions of the events that gave rise to the events of 1860-1865.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent history & treatise
Review: This is a work that any one should read concerninig the details of the life and death of the Confederate nation.The principled beliefs those who founded the other American nation are presented.
Jefferson Davis' work is thorough and detailed concerning the his belief in the constitutional basis that secession was legal and that the desire to peacefully seperate was the absolute goal of the southern states. Bear in mind the 4 states of the upper South (AR, NC, TN and VA) did not leave the Union until Lincoln called for forced cohersion of the other southern states.
His work is also quite detailed in the military aspects of the War Between the States and his personal eyewitness of events are well written and easy to read and grasp. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: Economical and easily available reprint of a classic
Review: This is probably the most accessible reprint of Davis' book on the market today. It's well indexed and available at an economical price. My only complaint is that they got James McPherson, a confederacy-hating Marxist, to write the intro.
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