A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States

Alexander H. Stephens's A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States is a significant work that articulates the Southern perspective on states' rights and secession. Stephens, who served as Vice President of the Confederate States of America, argued that the war was a defense of constitutional government and Southern freedom. He believed the Union was a compact among states, and that states retained the right to secede. His book, published in 1868–70, is considered a key statement of the Southern position during the American Civil War. The war itself was precipitated by the secession of 11 slave states following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.