Secession on Trial: The Treason Prosecution of Jefferson Davis (Research in Authorized Historical past)

This e book focuses on the post-Civil Struggle treason prosecution of Accomplice President Jefferson Davis, which was seen as a check case on the foremost query that animated the Civil Struggle: the constitutionality of secession. The case by no means went to trial as a result of it threatened to undercut the which means and significance of Union victory. Cynthia Nicoletti describes the interactions of the attorneys who labored on each side of the Davis case – who noticed its potential to disrupt the decision of the battlefield towards secession. Within the aftermath of the Civil Struggle, People engaged in a wide-ranging debate over the legitimacy and effectiveness of warfare as a technique of authorized adjudication. As a substitute of risking the ‘unsuitable’ end result within the extremely risky Davis case, the Supreme Courtroom took the chance to pronounce secession unconstitutional in Texas v. White (1869).