The Contested Legacy of Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America and  a Kentucky native, is the topic of a day-long symposium set for Friday, June 27, at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Davis’s birth.

Keynote speaker for “The Contested Legacy of Jefferson Davis” will be nationally known Civil War scholar and author William J. Cooper Jr., of Louisiana State University. Cooper is the author of Jefferson Davis, American (2000) as well as other works on slavery and the South, including The South and the Politics of Slavery, 1828-1856 (1978), Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860 (1983), and (with Thomas E. Terrill) The American South: A History (1990).

The symposium is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a break for lunch. Events include two topical panels followed by a roundtable discussion.

This panel discussion features established scholars highlighting recent work on Davis’s role in the war, Confederate military and diplomatic efforts, African Americans in the Confederacy and the Confederate army, and life in the South during the war. It includes panelists Cooper, Richard J. Blackett, of Vanderbilt University; and Charles P. Roland, author and retired professor emeritus of history at the University of Kentucky. Edward M. Coffman will serve as moderator.

This discussion focuses on the actual and symbolic roles Davis and his family played in the emergence of the Lost Cause, both across the old Confederacy and in Kentucky. Panelists include Anne Marshall of Mississippi State University and John Coski, director of library and research at the Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia. James A. Ramage, Northern Kentucky University, will serve as moderator.

“The Contested Legacy of Jefferson Davis” will end with a group discussion on how to interpret Jefferson Davis era Confederate history accurately and sensitively at Kentucky’s historic sites.

“First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War”
Brown Bag History Program
Kentucky Historical Society
Frankfort
Noon, Wednesday, June 4

Professor Joan Cashin will discuss the extraordinary life of Mrs. Jefferson Davis (1826-1906), who said in private that the Confederacy did not have the resources to win the war; probably saved her husband's life at the capture in 1865; moved to New York City when she became a widow; and became friends with Mrs. Ulysses Grant while living in New York.
This event is free. Please contact Annette Parde, 502-564-1792, ext. 4461 for more information.

Jefferson Davis’ 200th Commemoration Set for June 7-8
Department of Parks
Jefferson Davis State Historic Site
Fairview, Ky.

The Jefferson Davis State Historic Site will commemorate the 200th birthday of the Confederate president with an array of activities on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8.

The annual event will include living history camps, period demonstrations and vendors, special guest speakers, Davis family members, book signings, period music and many other educational events.

Born on this site on June 3, 1808, Davis served as a military and political leader not only during the Civil War, but also as a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero, Mississippi congressman and senator, and secretary of war during the Franklin Pierce administration. The Jefferson Davis 200th Birthday Commemoration is an event designed to interpret the role and impact this Kentuckian made on the nation's history.  The mission of the Kentucky State Parks is to, in part, preserve and interpret the Commonwealth's significant natural, historical, and cultural heritage.

The 351-foot monument to Davis constructed on this site marks Davis' birthplace and rests on a foundation of solid Kentucky limestone. The site’s visitor’s center features exhibits detailing Davis' political life before and after the Civil War, and offers Kentucky handicrafts, souvenirs, books and Civil War memorabilia.

Here is a schedule of events at Fairview:

Saturday, June 7, 2008
Gates open at 8:00 a.m. Encampments and sutlers open at 9:00 am.
9:00 a.m.  Opening Ceremonies - by Park Manager Mark Doss and Bertram Hayes-Davis.
Monument Tours: Tours every one-half hour beginning at 9:00 a.m. with break from 12 – 1 p.m. Last tour goes up at 8 pm.
9:30 a.m. Period Music by Saxton’s Cornett Band.
10:00 a.m.  Varina Davis’ Memories – by Joan Howard.
10:30 a.m.  Lunch Basket Auction for “the Cause”.
11:00 a.m.  TBA
Noon:  Emilie Todd Helm – by Betsy Smith.
1:00 p.m.   Artillery Demonstrations – by Byrnes KY Battery.
1:30 p.m.   “The Image of Jefferson Davis” – Book Signing by Ron Bryant.
2:00 p.m.   Miss Confederacy Event – (ages 2-24) – Wee, Little & Jr. Miss - $10 advance and $20 after May 31.  Miss and Ms. - $15 advance and $30 after May 31. Call park for more information.
3:00 p.m.   The Life of Jefferson Davis – by William C. Davis.
3:45 p.m.   “Jefferson Davis Biography” – Book Signing by William C. Davis.
4:00 p.m.   Musical Instruments of the Civil War – by Saxton’s Cornett Band.
7:30 p.m.  Reenactor Ball – Music by Saxton’s Cornett Band.
8:30 p.m.  Night Firing Program – by Byrnes Kentucky Battery.
9:00 p.m.  Reenactor Ball continues.
 

Sunday, June 8, 2008
Gates open at 9:30 a.m. Encampments and sutlers open at 10:00 am.
10:15 a.m.   Period Music by Saxton’s Cornett Band.
11:00 a.m.   Worship Service – Bethel Baptist Church.
Noon  “A Distant Light” – Book Signing by Judge Bill Cunningham.
12:30 p.m.  Period Music by Saxton’s Cornett Band.
1:30 p.m.   “Then & Now” – Book Signing by local historian William Turner.
2:00 p.m.   Artillery Demonstrations and Cannon Firing – by Byrnes KY Battery. 2:15 p.m.   Birthday Commemoration.
3:00 p.m.  Period Music by Saxton’s Cornett Band.

The Jefferson Davis State Historic Site is located on Highway 68E in Fairview, about 10 miles east of Hopkinsville. Park facilities include two picnic shelters near restrooms and a playground. Call Park Manager Mark Doss at 270-889-6100 for more information. Registration information for vendors and participants may be found on the Kentucky State Parks website, www.parks.ky.gov.