| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 89.1

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to JAH online. About 205 words from this article are provided below; about 361 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the Organization of American Historians, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a member of the Organization of American Historians, you can:: • Join the OAH and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the Journal of American History.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two-hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of American History (86.1-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the Journal of American History.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 89.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Jefferson Davis, American. By William J. Cooper Jr. (New York: Knopf, 2000. xvi, 757 pp. $35.00, ISBN 0-394-56916-4.)

Jefferson Davis remains something of a confusing figure to most Americans. Seemingly cold and distant, the president of the Confederacy earnestly believed in the cause of Southern independence; his rigid, disputatious, and fault-finding personality, however, did not enhance the prospects for Confederate success and detracted from his character as a principled and steadfast man. It does not help that many Americans venerate his Union counterpart or his chief military officer as embodying more welcome traits. How to make such a stern person come alive is the daunting task facing Davis's newest biographer, William J. Cooper Jr., and in this tightly written biography he does his best to understand this compelling figure. 1

Much of Davis's story, his birth in Kentucky, his years at Transylvania University and West Point, his military service in the Mexican-American War, and his political career as senator from Mississippi and secretary of war, may be known to students of the period; Cooper's narrative promises to share them with a wider audience. Woven throughout is Davis's effort to reconcile American values with his Southern surroundings, including slavery, states' rights, and secession. . . .

There are about 361 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.