With elegant writing and an impressive depth of research, William J. Cooper, Jr. gives us a fully realized biography of this complex figure.

Jefferson Davis emerges as a man devoted to the ideals of America, as he understood them. The son a veteran of the American Revolution, a graduate of West Point, and a soldier in the Mexican war, Davis saw himself as a patriot. Cooper shows us how Davis’s initial reluctance to support secession turned into an absolute commitment to the Confederacy. We see the chaos that attended the formation of the Confederate government while the Civil War was being fought, and we witness Davis’s increasing desperation to save the Confederacy. Finally, we see Davis in defeat—imprisoned for two years and unrepentant, yet ulimately professing his faith in the restored Union. Engrossing and authoritative, Jefferson Davis, American, is the definitive life of one of the most enigmatic figures in our nation’s history.

"Thanks to Cooper’s rather awesome thoroughness of research and steady focus on his subject...his book seems likely to be the standard life from now on."—The New York Times Book Review

"Definitive... Bring[s] Davis back to life in all of his complexity and subtleties."—The Christian Science Monitor

"Biography on a grand scale, the most comprehensive treatment of Davis and his times yet to appear."—Los Angeles Times Book Review
© Michael Lionstar
William J. Cooper is a Boyd Professor at Louisiana State University and a past president of the Southern Historical Association. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina, and received his A.B. from Princeton and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He has been a member of the LSU faculty since 1968 and is the author of The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877–1890; The South and the Politics of Slavery, 1828–1856; Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860; Jefferson Davis, American; Jefferson Davis and the Civil War Era; and coauthor of The American South: A History. He lives in Baton Rouge. View titles by William J. Cooper

About

With elegant writing and an impressive depth of research, William J. Cooper, Jr. gives us a fully realized biography of this complex figure.

Jefferson Davis emerges as a man devoted to the ideals of America, as he understood them. The son a veteran of the American Revolution, a graduate of West Point, and a soldier in the Mexican war, Davis saw himself as a patriot. Cooper shows us how Davis’s initial reluctance to support secession turned into an absolute commitment to the Confederacy. We see the chaos that attended the formation of the Confederate government while the Civil War was being fought, and we witness Davis’s increasing desperation to save the Confederacy. Finally, we see Davis in defeat—imprisoned for two years and unrepentant, yet ulimately professing his faith in the restored Union. Engrossing and authoritative, Jefferson Davis, American, is the definitive life of one of the most enigmatic figures in our nation’s history.

"Thanks to Cooper’s rather awesome thoroughness of research and steady focus on his subject...his book seems likely to be the standard life from now on."—The New York Times Book Review

"Definitive... Bring[s] Davis back to life in all of his complexity and subtleties."—The Christian Science Monitor

"Biography on a grand scale, the most comprehensive treatment of Davis and his times yet to appear."—Los Angeles Times Book Review

Author

© Michael Lionstar
William J. Cooper is a Boyd Professor at Louisiana State University and a past president of the Southern Historical Association. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina, and received his A.B. from Princeton and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He has been a member of the LSU faculty since 1968 and is the author of The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877–1890; The South and the Politics of Slavery, 1828–1856; Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860; Jefferson Davis, American; Jefferson Davis and the Civil War Era; and coauthor of The American South: A History. He lives in Baton Rouge. View titles by William J. Cooper

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more