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President of the Confederate States of America

 
President of the Confederate States of America

 
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President of the Confederate States of America
 
 
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The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 and Head of Government
Head of government

The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet . In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled Prime Minister, President of the Government, Premier, etc....
 of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
, which was formed from the states
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 which declared their secession from the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The only person to hold the office was Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis was an United States politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War....
. He was President from February 18, 1861, to May 5, 1865, and his Vice President was Alexander Stephens
Alexander Stephens

Alexander Hamilton Stephens was an American politician from Georgia . He was Vice President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War....
. Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb

Howell Cobb was an United States political figure. A Southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1851....
, as president of the Provisional Confederate Congress
Provisional Confederate Congress

The Provisional Confederate Congress, for a time the legislative branch of the Confederate States of America, was the body which drafted the Confederate Constitution, elected Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, and designed the first Confederate flag....
, was the highest ranking Confederate official before the election of Davis, but he was not titled President of the Confederate States.

rding to the Confederate States Constitution
Confederate States Constitution

The Constitution of the Confederate States of America was the supreme law of the Confederate States of America, as adopted on March 11, 1861 and in effect through the conclusion of the American Civil War....
, the President's office was almost entirely the same as that of the President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
.






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The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 and Head of Government
Head of government

The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet . In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled Prime Minister, President of the Government, Premier, etc....
 of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
, which was formed from the states
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 which declared their secession from the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The only person to hold the office was Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis was an United States politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War....
. He was President from February 18, 1861, to May 5, 1865, and his Vice President was Alexander Stephens
Alexander Stephens

Alexander Hamilton Stephens was an American politician from Georgia . He was Vice President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War....
. Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb

Howell Cobb was an United States political figure. A Southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1851....
, as president of the Provisional Confederate Congress
Provisional Confederate Congress

The Provisional Confederate Congress, for a time the legislative branch of the Confederate States of America, was the body which drafted the Confederate Constitution, elected Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, and designed the first Confederate flag....
, was the highest ranking Confederate official before the election of Davis, but he was not titled President of the Confederate States.

Office

According to the Confederate States Constitution
Confederate States Constitution

The Constitution of the Confederate States of America was the supreme law of the Confederate States of America, as adopted on March 11, 1861 and in effect through the conclusion of the American Civil War....
, the President's office was almost entirely the same as that of the President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
. The President was to be:
  • chosen by an electoral college
    Electoral college

    An electoral college is a set of Votings who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entity, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way....
     from each state in the Confederacy. Each state had as many electors as they had members in the Confederate Congress (senators + representatives).
  • elected jointly with a Vice President
    Vice President of the Confederate States of America

    The Vice President of the Confederate States of America was formally the second highest position within the government of the short-lived Confederacy....
    ial running mate
    Running mate

    A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were running mates in 1988"....
     (but the President and VP could not be citizens of the same state)
  • either a born citizen of the Confederacy or a born citizen of the United States born prior to December 20, 1860 and to have "been fourteen years a resident within the limits of the Confederate States, as they may exist at the time of his election."
  • at least thirty-five years of age


Oath of Office

Like the Oath of office of the President of the United States, the oath or affirmation of office
Oath of office

An oath of office is an oath or Affirmation in law a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations....
 of the President of the Confederate States was established in the Confederate States Constitution
Confederate States Constitution

The Constitution of the Confederate States of America was the supreme law of the Confederate States of America, as adopted on March 11, 1861 and in effect through the conclusion of the American Civil War....
 and was mandatory for a President upon beginning a term of office. The wording, almost an exact copy of the United States' version, was prescribed by the Constitution (Article II, Section 1, Clause 10), as follows:

As with almost every President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
, upon taking the oath on February 18, 1861, Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis was an United States politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War....
 added the words "So help me God" to the end of the oath.

Powers

President Jefferson Davis
The President of the Confederacy held most of the same powers as the President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
. Though he could not directly propose legislation, he was given the power to nominate members of the Supreme Court
Supreme court

A supreme court, also called a court of last resort or high court, is in some jurisdictions the highest court within that jurisdiction's court system, whose rulings are not subject to further review by another court....
 of the Confederate States, ambassadors, cabinet members, and other executive officials to be approved by the Senate.

He was also Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
 of the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
 and held veto
Veto

A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is used to denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a piece of legislation. In practice, the veto can be absolute or limited ...
 power over legislation
Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgation by a legislature or other governing body. The term may refer to a single law, or the collective body of enacted law, while "statute" is also used to refer to a single law....
.

The President could be impeached by Congress for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

Differences

There were a few key differences between the Confederate President and the United States President:
  • Unlike the United States, which allowed for indefinite re-election (until the passage of the 22nd Amendment
    Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution

    The Twenty-second Amendment of the United States Constitution sets a term limit for the President of the United States. The United States Congress passed the amendment on March 21, 1947....
     in 1951) of both the President and Vice President after a four-year term, the Confederacy limited both offices to only one six-year term. After the war, this innovation gained considerable popularity in the re-constituted Union, most notably being endorsed by Rutherford B. Hayes
    Rutherford B. Hayes

    Rutherford Birchard Hayes was an Politics of the United States, Law of the United States, Military of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States ....
     in his inaugural address.
  • The Confederate president had the ability to subject a bill to a line-item veto
    Line-item veto

    In government, the line-item veto is the power of an executive to nullify or cancel specific provisions of a bill, usually budget appropriations, without vetoing the entire legislative package....
    , a power held by most state governors.


See also

  • Congress of the Confederate States
    Congress of the Confederate States

    The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865....