Alexander H. Stephens served as the Vice President of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, a role that placed him in direct conflict with Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Unlike Davis, Stephens was a firm believer in states’ rights and limited government, often making their relationship tense and combative.
His “Cornerstone Speech” in March 1861, bluntly declared that the Confederacy was founded on the principle of white supremacy and the perpetuation of slavery—an ideology that left no room for ambiguity about the war’s causes.
Despite his official position, Stephens often found himself sidelined. Davis had little patience for his vice president’s outspoken criticism. Stephens opposed conscription, taxation policies, and Davis’ use of martial law, seeing them as betrayals of the Confederate cause. Their strained relationship reached a breaking point in 1863 when Stephens tried to negotiate with the Union for peace—an effort Davis quickly shut down.
By the final years of the war, Stephens had little influence over the Confederate government. He returned to Georgia, disillusioned and largely cut off from decision-making. When the Confederacy collapsed in 1865, he was arrested and imprisoned for several months before being released.
Stephens’ tenure as vice president was marked by ideological clashes and political frustration. While he was a strong voice for states’ rights, his opposition to Davis’ leadership left him with little power in shaping the war effort. In the end, he was more of a critic than a true decision-maker, a man who talked big but had little sway in the Confederacy’s fate.
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