Jefferson Davis: An American President 

Dr Harrelson: A fellow traditional Catholic, Southern patriot friend of mine recently sent me a link to one of your videos. I've been hooked ever since. You say things I like to hear, in an accent that I can appreciate! I've been involved in Southern Nationalism via the League of the South since 1996, and I have many of the books you reference in your videos in my own library. I've quoted from them often in my own speeches over the years. I plan to attend the conference of the Southern Cultural Center in Wetumpka, Alabama in a couple of weeks, and I very much hope to get a chance to meet and talk with you while there. May God save and free the South! [>

Your son being born in Meridian… my grandmother was from Enterprise just outside of Meridian. I went down to be with her when she died in 2022. We buried her a few miles from her home and a short drive from her Baptist church. I love my grandmother and miss her dearly. I appreciate your content. It connects me to my heretofore largely unknown roots and connects me to the spirit of my grandmother and her love of the South.

I sincerely hope you are not bullied into removing this video. Great video about a great man. Hope you and the family are well.

Yep, my favorite one. Greetings from a Idahoan whose ancestors come from both sides of the Ohio River. I do hope to see Kentucky before I die.

Your right on point sir about President Jefferson Davis. I saw your video with Matt Fradd, being a Arkansas Catholic Convert myself and have a deep love for our shared history. You've honored him well by naming your son after him. Keep up the good work.

God bless the South!

God Bless my Southland aswell as all her Sons and Daughters.

I agree with this %100. Jefferson davis is certainly a man worth learning about and to judge him to our modern standards is not the way to learn.

Fascinating

Charles Coulombe was once asked who his favourite president was. Jefferson Davis was his answer. And I couldn’t agree more.

Its just like the story you told me about the overwhelming amount of students who cited James Buchanan as the worst President. People today are too far gone in the mire of the curated narrative surrounding the War and its Southern participants.

You sold me on Dirck's book, aim to find a copy. Despite the Napoleonic avatar, I am an American with both Deep South, and Yankee roots. I lived in Georgia for a time, miss it deeply, but due to family issues, had to move to the Midwest to help out. Still a Southerner, just in a foreign land (lol, actually quite a few Midwesterners are grade A folk). I admit to not knowing a great deal about President Davis, even though I'm a military historian, working on some works I hope to publish dealing primarily with the great, lamented, misunderstood Army of Tennessee. Your video has inspired me to dive deeper into Mr. Davis, and since I already own William Cooper's book, I suppose I should read it. Thank you for the great discussion, always glad to see some like minds, and a brother in Christ.

So glad you made this video. I was blessed with taking my first trip to Richmond (VA) maybe a year before all the monuments on the Ave were torn down and I was able to see the Davis monument there; it was also a tremendous honor and treat to visit the Confederate White House and to visit Hollywood Cemetery to pray at the graves of Davis and other Southern heroes. I learned a lot about Davis from Shelby Foote, and I bought the book "Jefferson Davis, American" on a visit to Gettysburg; I've made note of the other titles and look forward to reading them. You mentioned John C. Calhoun, another amazing American hero and Constitutional genius; do you have any titles to recommend about him? I had gotten a book from the library about 30 years ago; it was written in the 50s, prior to all the historical whitewashing that's been going on, but I never finished it and no longer remember the title. I worry that contemporary books would spend all their time condemning the man instead of telling me an accurate story. God bless you and thank you for your dedication to historical accuracy.

Dr. Harrelson this was such an amazing talk. All around. I truly hope to hear more like it from you! 🇺🇸

Very good presentation.........thanks for the recommendations sir.

My dear Doctor Harrelson, You are a "Jacob's Well"; I dropped my bucket in and you came up; how very wonderful. I am convinced after study and some prayer that the salvation of my country will come from out of the South; the Catholic Church will be a part of that; Bishop Strickland is the first martyr example; there are more to come. You, Shelby Foote, and the Abbeyville Institute have convince me that we have been lied to about the South, the Civil War, as well as a good many other things. Do NOT stop what you are doing; at last I know I am NOT alone.

I have owned an original copy of both of 'The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government' and 'A Short History of the Confederate States of America' for many years now and can attest to their value for amateur students of history in establishing the historical priors of the war. Moreover, they are simultaneously essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the unfolding of events from the perspective of southern leadership. While Mr. Stephens wrote what is likely the most impressive overview of the war's legal contentions and implications from a southern perspective, Davis is a persuasive (if a bit long-winded) writer who incorporated much of the same argumentation while also chronologically explaining his (as well as his cabinet and generals) conduct and its guiding rationale. Highly recommended! Also, I bought Mrs. Allen's book in May of last year but have yet to read it... will be sure to do so now!

Yes... Amen!!!

You apologetics, in regard to this matter, are a refreshing note sir. If we have a mind to take a hill, I would rather fight on this one side by side, than against you on another. May the very peace of the King abide with you, and your family brother.

Dr. Alan Harrelson, thank you for these videos and your love of history. I'm a Catholic seminarian studying for Diocese in Baltimore Maryland. I've been bitten by the Civil War bug recently after my own curiousity on the role the Catholic Church played in it. I visited Fr Corby's statue in Gettysburg. I certainly hope to find out about Priests who served the Confederacy and the army. You mention the Mises Institute, Have you read any of Thomas Dilorenzo's books on Lincoln? What do you think? I know hes an economist.

Dr. Harrelson, while I'm not surprised that you made this video I am so thankful that you did. As conservatives and as Southern conservatives we owe a great debt the president Davis and to John C. Calhoun before him, remove them this debt for loudly proclaiming the principles of the American founding for what they were and are. The truth of the matter is that not only have we forgotten those principles, many of the people today who claim do you believe in those principles neither know them nor understand them. Jefferson Davis did know them, and you are right that he sincerely believed that he was trying to restore them. May God save us for speaking the truth that Davis, flawed human being that he was (for we all are) was largely right and has, I believe, been proven largely right about his fears of the expansion of federal power since the end of the war. I am slowly trying to make my way through Rise and Fall (again). I look forward to reading these other books that you recommended about a thoroughly underrated and truly great man. May God continue to richly bless you and your witness to the truth and to the Catholic faith as well.

It's remarkable 2 sons of Kentucky were executives.

I took Dr McClanahans course on Reading Jefferson Davis. Outstanding!

Thank you for sharing! Please keep the great educational and entertaining content coming!

Thank you for introducing me to Shelby Foote.

We were driving in Western Kentucky and I told my wife we would go to the Jefferson Davis birthplace. It was so beautiful to go to Jefferson Davis's birthplace and it was only 2 weeks after the exact date of June 3rd 1808. It was a beautiful area and it was Jefferson Davis's obelisk that was only surpassed by the Washington monument.

Thanks for sharing these books.

Amen

Well done and well said. Sir, carry on.

You are a scholar and a Catholic gentleman.

An absolutely fantastic and utterly fascinating video. Bravo

The Cooper biography is the one I have and you have given me the impetus to read it. What they are doing to the history of the Confederacy and history in general is a crime ! Thank you for these videos, please keep them coming.

Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing your story about meeting Ward and Felicity Alan. Entertaining and enlightening as always. God bless.

Jefferson Davis, American, is a wonderful introduction to a great man.

I find Jeff Davis’s relationship to the Catholic Church to be really fascinating. He was pen pals with Bl. Pius IX and the two men had a deep respect for each other. At the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Savannah you can see a very neat historical marker talking about how the sisters at the St. Vincent academy helped support the Davis family after the war and educated his daughters.

Bless you Dr Harrelson. I remember reading that once Jefferson Davis's train car was stopped by general Sherman's men they found him with a box of squirrels. I don't think Jefferson Davis was a good man, but I do agree he was an important one. Thank you for doing this video and may God richly bless you.

Thanks for giving President Davis his due. I’ve read Cooper’s book, as well as Rise and Fall, and share your opinion of both. Shelby Foote closed his trilogy with a story of Davis, which is a real honor. Deo vindice!

I love Jefferson Davis

Great topic

Thnx for this. I found Jefferson's own volumes post war, particularly where he uses many legal precedents to establish the unfair distribution of federal import tax revenues to the northern states, as the most inciteful and best explanation of the multitude of justifications for the confederate position.

Good job!

I bought the William Cooper biography on the advice of the Davis birthplace bookstore about 10 years ago and am glad it is one you recommend.

I still want to make a documentary film about Jefferson Davis. He was an extraordinary man.

This is my favorite channel, GOD bless you sir!

Winners of wars write the history. So the losers have to be painted in an evil way. That gives the winner justification for their own wrongs.

I subscribed to this channel because of this video!

I just wanted to say your channel is a treasure and while I'm not from the south, I have great love and respect for her people. And thanks to you I discovered Shelby Foote. God Bless

Thanks for sharing this information with us. I really appreciate it and the knowledge of resources.

State alumnus here!!!

The "Past is a foreign country" argument is a duel edged sword imo.

Just as you've said you can't blame the cause of a war on one single issue, I tend to find anyone who judges a man on one single event in their life and those that do are often lazy generally ignorant and always wrong

A lesser emphasized and indeed overlooked cause of the Second Civil War (that of 1775 being the First) was the victory of that man Hamilton and the Federalists.

Could you make a recommendation on the best biography/book of Teddy Roosevelt?

I blame ken burns for asserting his intrrpretation of history to the illiterate masses. I read shelby foote's 3 volume masterpiece and several biographies about lee and other generals. I ressurect videos of the great prof foote to remind people that slavery was about 10% of the story. Also content creator razorfist has an excellent long form video about lincoln the tyrant.

Good Evening 😊 Awesome Video👌🏽 Interesting Topic 👏🏼Thanks For Sharing 👍🏼 Have a Blessed Day & God Bless You and Your Family 🙏🏽 Greetings From South Africa 🇿🇦

When you realize that none of the buildings, statues, or monuments pertaining to the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 in India have been removed, defaced or tampered with in any way, you understand what a country which hasn’t been touched by woke infestation looks like. Sorry, long sentence but needs to be stated.

Deo Vindice

Dr. Harrelson, as a Frankfort native, I totally understand your desire to never visit the capitol building, but I do hope you one day visit the capital city! I was also distraught by the removal of the statue of Jefferson Davis from the capitol building. Now, I admit that I was at least glad that it was being removed in a nonviolent way. I was still in high school at the time and was working downtown. I spent that summer horrified that the monuments and history of my beloved hometown would be totally destroyed by mobs coming from Lexington and Louisville to march in the capital. I remember the owner of the shop I was working at had seriously considered putting up some BLM imagery in the windows solely for the sake of preserving the store from vandalism. Fortunately, the crowds were pretty much well-behaved when the marches did happen, and the owner did not have to sacrifice principle for the sake of self preservation. At any rate, I would absolutely love it if you came to Frankfort some time, just to see a video that you might make of it. However, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't hold out hope to meet one of my intellectual heroes!

Thanks ; they have pulled down his statue and renamed the street , to hell I say ! History is the collective memory !

👍🏻👍🏻❤️

"Jefferson Davis was a great man, even if he was not great enough to triumph... Success depended, in the last analysis, on Jefferson Davis. He failed. Not from lack of brains, for he had a good mind, and not from want of character, for he was a strong man. But from temperament. He did not have the faculty of success: the power to grapple men to him, absolute self-forgetfulness. So he failed, and with him faded the last hope of the Nordic race." - H. K. Eckenrode, 'Jefferson Davis: President of the South' (1923)

This is not a knock, but I don't think that Thomas Jefferson was a conservative. He was a first wave liberal and heir to Enlightenment thinking; British empiricists from Bacon to Hobbes, Locke and Hume.

What was Jefferson Davis mind set on slavery did he agree with it ? Was he against it? Was he about white supremacy I don’t know that’s why I am askin

You deleted my post. How very confederate of you: re-write history to suit a failed modern paradigm

The last American president in the tradition of the founding.

My son is named after Generals Lee and Jackson

God bless the South!