Description
In this cartoon, the Confederate leaders are portrayed as a band of competing opportunists led by South Carolina governor and secessionist Francis Pickens (far left). The artist criticizes the January 1861 secession of five states from the lower south, following the lead of South Carolina, which had formally declared its independence a month before. Armed with a whip and a pistol, Pickens sits on the back of a young slave, pronouncing, "South Carolina claims to be file leader and general whipper in of the new Confederacy, a special edict! Obey and tremble!" The other leaders are also armed. Pickens's tyranny is met by expressions of self-interest from the other confederates. The nature of these individual interests are conveyed pictorially and in the text. Although Texas, which seceded on February 1, 1861, is not represented here, the print probably appeared at the time of the Montgomery convention in early February when the Confederate States of America was formed, but before Jefferson Davis assumed its presidency. Texas did not attend that convention.
Transcript of "The Dis-United States. Or the Southern Confederacy" Cartoon
Source-Dependent Questions
- According to the cartoon, what motivated the southern states to secede and become part of the Confederacy?
- Using evidence from the cartoon, how strongly do you think these states were committed to the Confederacy?
Citation Information
"The Dis-United States Or the Southern Confederacy," Currier & Ives, New York, 1861. Courtesy of Library of Congress