Sadie the meerkat mama darted back and forth between her publicly viewable habitat and an area backstage, her three pups close behind. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Deputy Director, Australian Gas Campaigns, Emergent Political Economies - two week school (Full Scholarships). But not one of them left after the Civil War. You have pointed out that there are racists in Northern states, to which not a single person would argue otherwise. He's the author of Southern Grit: Sensing the Siege of Petersburg from Shotwell Publishing and you can find more of his work on his YouTube channel, Truth Decay. Southerners cant conceive of any system that will control the races, keep the blacks where they thought they belong, without the institution of chattel slavery. Cornerstone A cornerstone with bronze relief images A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. In the New Testament, we can also read that Jesus was referred to as a cornerstone, specifically in Ephesians 2:19-21, as Paul said. 2. a stone placed at the corner of a building during a ceremony to mark the start of construction. The great principle of religious liberty, which was the honor and pride of the old Constitution, is still maintained and secured. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/Darrin Hughes. But there was more to Alexander than a moment of ill-advised honesty that got plenty of attention in the anti-slavery North. A weekly update on music, movies, cultural trends, and education solutions. Many who hear me, perhaps, can recollect well that this truth was not generally admitted, even within their day. A cornerstone is a useful part of a building, especially in ancient times, because it serves as a principal stone placed at a corner of an edifice to guide the workers in their course to complete the masonry. Alexander H. Stephens' "Cornerstone Speech" From Henry Cleveland, Alexander H. Stephens, in Public and Private: With Letters and Speeches, Before, During, and Since the War (Philadelphia, 1886), pp. Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. First, he acknowledged that Thomas Jefferson and the other Founders believed that all men, including Africans, were equal, but argued that that they had been mistaken. The Monitor is a peculiar little publication thats hard for the world to figure out. And we can prove it.. Often, the cornerstone was hollowed out, and important documents, newspaper clippings, books, or photographs were placed into a metal receptacle and then placed inside the hollowed-out area in the cornerstone before it was put in place. In context, God was speaking to the people of Judah and He was promising them a foundation for their lives as long as they trusted Him. He opposed suspension of the writ of habeas corpus [the obligation of authorities to justify detaining people], and he opposed conscription [involuntarily drafting soldiers]. Whether we realize it or not, this is the type of subtle programming that is being used to convince the world the South is nothing more than a cultural wasteland of racists. This website uses cookies to They assume that the negro is equal, and hence conclude that he is entitled to equal privileges and rights with the white man. He understands us, the chosen people because He lives among us. One such Northern scientist was Samuel George Morton, from Philadelphia. . It pitted not only brother against brother but Northerner against Northerners and Southerner against Southerner. Without intelligence, virtue, integrity, and patriotism on the part of the people, no republic or representative government can be durable or stable. All the essentials of the old Constitution, which have endeared it to the hearts of the American people, have been preserved and perpetuated. As you come to him, the living Stone rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Intelligence will not do without virtue. Surrender of Lee to Grant, Appomattox Court House, Address of South Carolina to Slaveholding States, State (Colonial) Legislatures>South Carolina Legislature. Well, in the first place, it is not possible for anyone who has not endured both to know which is worse. I know Negroes who prefer the South and white Southerners because At least there, you havent got to play any guessing games!I know another Negro, a man very dear to me, who says with conviction and with truth, The spirit of the South is the spirit of America. He was born in the North and did his military training in the South. All that is required is to cultivate and perpetuate these. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.". Had the weather been better on Election Day and had the anti-secession people like Stephens been more energetic, it might have a difference. contact customer service Not so with the negro. A. H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America. The Cornerstone Speech. They also believed that there was not any moral issues because they were not actual people. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations. Alexander H. Stephens Who was he? At the National Zoo, a baby (animal) boom. When this speech was delivered in Savannah in late March of 1861, it was reinforcing most of the points from Georgias Declaration of Secession two months earlier. The speech, in some respects, was a cornerstone of Johnsons 1964 election campaign. The reply I made to him was, that upon his own grounds, we should, ultimately, succeed, and that he and his associates, in this crusade against our institutions, would ultimately fail. A selection of the most viewed stories this week on the Monitor's website. Thomas E. Schott, a retired historian and native of New Orleans, knows Stephens better than anyone else thanks to the years he spent writing 1988s mammoth Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia: A Biography. Cornerstone Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Cornerstone Cornerstone [N] [S] Architectural term used twice in the New Testament ( Eph 2:20 ; 1 Peter 2:6 ) to speak of the exalted Jesus as the chief foundation stone of the church, the cornerstone on which all the building depends. Without this context its difficult to grasp why Johnson announced a vision of such sweep. One example is the downtown Minneapolis Macys building, formerly Daytons Department Store. Our system commits no such violation of natures laws. Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens drifted into obscurity because he spent most of his time in Crawfordville, Ga. . It was all in the name of constitutional liberty under the Confederate Constitution, which was modeled on the US Constitution. Architects have used these spaces to declare ownership of the buildings design. In these two New Testament verses, we are assured that God gave His Son, Jesus, as a promise that we are guided, and we have a strong foundation as long as we follow Him. They were attempting to make things equal which the Creator had made unequal. Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, suffered from numerous ailments during his lifetime and often weighed less than 100 pounds. The speech was also a response to the movements for social change led by the civil rights revolution in the South that were sweeping the country. Johnson declared that the government, working with a citizenry motivated to improve community life, had to make cities more livable, protect the natural environment, and provide education that gave all citizens regardless of race or class the chance to rise in society and find meaning in life. Capstones are designed to throw water off the masonry wall to help prevent damage to the wall. As a means to preserve time, buildings have been marked with a numerical representation to remind people when the building was erected. How Is Jesus the Author and Perfecter of Faith? Why Is it Important to Remember That Jesus Was Jewish? The Constitution required that the newly elected president of the United States take an oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," and so Lincoln explained how he would keep that Union together. The substratum of our society is made of the material fitted by nature for it, and by experience we know that it is best, not only for the superior, but for the inferior race, that it should be so. In this passage, Paul says that Christ is the chief cornerstone and the foundation of the members of the Church of Christ. We tackle difficult conversations and divisive issueswe dont shy away from hard problems. This Philadelphia Navy Yard building features a cornerstone over the entrance indicating 1874 as the year of construction. What Does it Mean That Jesus Christ Is the Cornerstone? Even the owners of fishing smacks sought and obtained bounties for pursuing their own business (which yet continue), and $500,000 is now paid them annually out of the Treasury. Lincoln was in a position where he didnt have to give an inch. How did the Confederate constitution improve on it? The Cornerstone Speech, also known as the Cornerstone Address, was delivered extemporaneously by Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens in Savannah, Georgia on March 21, 1861. They provide protection not only from the elements but also house the memories and milestones of a family or business. Let us discuss the different areas in the Bible where Jesus was referred to as a cornerstone. He didnt get along with President Davis, and he disagreed with Confederate policy on a number of things. For example, Alexander Stephens was reputed to have a good relationship with his slaves and once successfully defended a female slave from an attempted murder charge. To modern eyes, the vice president of the Confederacy was a most unusual rebel. Johnsons speech reflected his faith in the power not just of government but also of ordinary citizens to enact changes that benefitted fellow Americans. Reply of the Colored Delegation to the President. 7 reasons we still give a damn about "Gone With the Wind", How Confederate battle flag debate is twisting history, One month free trial to the Monitor Daily. He also emphasized that Jesus would bring justice to the righteous. What happened? We are a small Design-Centered Practice Studio that promotes cost effective Green Building technologies. Were run by a church, but were not only for church members and were not about converting people. Depending on the type of structure, the deposits were placed at the corners of buildings, or at points of importance in a structure, such as the entrance. In his March 21, 1861, Cornerstone Speech, Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens presents what he believes are the reasons for what he termed was a "revolution." This revolution resulted in the American Civil War. Stephens' speech is noteworthy for two other reasons. Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Pr Letter from William Tecumseh Sherman to James M. C Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Henry W. Hoffman (1 Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby (1863). This was typical white, slaveholding, ruling-class thought. Liberals had concluded that governments mission had less to do with ensuring economic fairness than with helping people to find meaning in their lives and to achieve a level of spiritual fulfillment. Copyright 2015-2023 Bill Whittaker, Registered Architect. Our Core Document Collection allows students to read history in the words of those who made it. We provide a wide range of services, and no job is too big or too small for our experience. He believed that the power he had in his hands was to be maximized for progressive ends. For His own purposes, He has made one race to differ from another, as He has made one star to differ from another star in glory.4 The great objects of humanity are best attained when there is conformity to His laws and decrees, in the formation of governments as well as in all things else. He just wasnt too prudent by broadcasting widely accepted facts. The liberals in the White House, Goodwin observed, were very much citizens of their time. See the following table for details: To hold slavery alone as the cause for a war, when some Northern states maintained slavery just ten years before the secession crisis, is absurd. Speaking before a raucous crowd in Savannah, Georgia, a few weeks after Lincolns inauguration, Stephens passionately declared that the Confederacy was explicitly founded on slavery and white supremacy, thereby forever undercutting the view still espoused by many southerners, and some northerners, that the Civil War was fought to preserve not slavery but states rights, and to oppose northern tyranny. The ancient civilizations often performed a ceremonial ritual when the cornerstone was placed. . This was taken by some Christians to justify the enslavement of Africans, although the Bible does not mention skin color. Jesus Christ as a cornerstone means that He is the foundation, the measuring guide, and the promise of God to His creation. This ensured that remains of the buildings original content were preserved with the structure throughout its life, until demolition. Science Monitor has expired. Get stories that empower and uplift daily. A broad, expanding middle-class was taken for granted by the date of Johnsons speech. Or as Timon the meerkat sang in The Lion King no worries. The text of the speech reprinted here is from a newspaper reporters account and opens and closes with the reporters comments. This right is a cornerstone of our Republic and one that's cherished by all Americans." . And the reason for such truth is again, the promise of God to give us a foundation of our lives through His Son, Jesus. The audience could not have been more receptive to his message. Many governments have been founded upon the principle of the subordination and serfdom of certain classes of the same race; such were and are in violation of the laws of nature. What was conjecture with him, is now a realized fact. A weekly digest of Monitor views and insightful commentary on major events. you are agreeing to our. But you know what? It has been apprehended by some that we would have arrayed against us the civilized world. George Draper Dayton, the owner at the time, believed that the story, and recognition, of the church was important to display on the new building, even though the church had relocated to its current location at 12th Street and Marquette Avenue South. It is, indeed, in conformity with the ordinance of the Creator. In the film, Candie used skulls to argue that blacks were inferior and even enjoyed watching vicious mandingo fights between slaves. In relation to architecture, a cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. I care not who or how many they may be against us, when we stand upon the eternal principles of truth, if we are true to ourselves and the principles for which we contend, we are obliged to, and must triumph. It serves as a foundation for other masonry layouts and that is why this building block is the most important part of ancient construction methods. You dont have a Christian Science Monitor According to Schott, Alexanders speech did indeed expose Southern true motives, much to the chagrin of the Confederate president. The truth announced, that it was as impossible to war successfully against a principle in politics as it was in physics and mechanics, I admitted; but told him that it was he, and those acting with him, who were warring against a principle. He discusses the creation of the park and its purpose. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Interior of Tammany Hall, New York: the Democratic Chapter 12: The Peculiar Institution: Positive Goo Chapter 14: John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry. In 1 Peter 2:4-6, Christ is referred to as a cornerstone chosen by God to secure a promise and that those who trust Christ will never be put to shame. The hopes and promises articulated by Johnson were grandiose, and inevitably raised expectations (bringing an end to poverty and racism for example) that no president could realistically hope to achieve. God, here, is referring to Jesus, His only begotten Son, and His promise to give His Son as the foundation of their lives. C. C. Jones, Mayor, and the speaker entered, and were greeted by the immense assemblage with deafening rounds of applause. These stones often had an inscription, such as the name of the owner, the name of the builder, or the year the structure was built. This was in February of 1865, and its obvious that the South is on its last legs. Those at the North, who still cling to these errors, with a zeal above knowledge, we justly denominate fanatics. (knstn ) noun. Genesis 9:2027. He used the speech to articulate his own program, distinct not only from Kennedy but also from his political mentor, Franklin Roosevelt, in whose shadow he stood. But its not because he was an outlier. Author Thomas E. Schott talks about the speech by Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, being cited Wednesday in the debate over the Confederate battle flag. But he drifted into obscurity because even as vice president he spent most of his time in Crawfordville, Ga. When the speech is really broken down, the word Constitution is mentioned thirty times, States are mentioned over twenty times, and the speech even explicitly mentions Our object is peace, not only with the North, but with the world.. [1] Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also highlighted the importance of free, uncensored and independent press as "a cornerstone of democratic societies", conveying life-saving information, improving public participation, and strengthening accountability and respect for human rights. The manufacturing interests entered into the same struggle early, and has clamored steadily for Government bounties and special favors.. Nonetheless, Johnsons speech remains a great speech and not only because it defined a program much of which was enacted into law that has proven beneficial to millions of Americans for the past 50 years and counting. Stephens, like Lincoln, was a Unionist, but he was also a supporter of slavery. Glory Dyhas been a content creator for more than 10 years. Arrival of the delegates to the Republican convent "The rehabilitation of the Democratic party. Preservation, in some cases, has become as important as the marking of a building as is seen with time capsules, hollowed-out stones filled with popular objects, or something significant to the occupants of the building at the time of completion. 19802023 The Christian Science Monitor. In the conflict thus far, success has been on our side, complete throughout the length and breadth of the Confederate states. He was in public office from the early 1840s until the 1880s, a man who was to the 19th century like John McCain is to this one. Michael Martin is a teacher and independent historian currently residing in Eastern North Carolina. The Corner Stone address was a speech given on March 21st, 1861, by Alexander Stephens in the city of Savannah, Georgia. History, the cornerstone was the first stone set during the building process. Those people in favor of secession. He also detailed some of the ways the Confederate Constitution would be more efficient than the old: It changed the length of the presidents tenure to six years in order to remove from the incumbent all temptation to use his office or exert the powers confided to him for any objects of personal ambition. It also allowed cabinet ministers and heads of departments to have the privilege of seats upon the floor of the Senate and House of Representatives for debates and discussions. Contributing to humanity's well-being. It is hard to imagine a more emphatic explanation of why Mississippi wanted to help create a new nation where slavery and racial subordination of blacks would be the "cornerstone" of the society. Speech to the State Legislature of Mississippi. Q: It sounds like Lincoln was willing to talk about some things, but basically patted Stephens on the head with a nice-try kind of attitude when he tried to act like his side was winning the war. Allow me briefly to allude to some of these improvements . continue to use the site without a From the original position and function of the cornerstone arose figures of speech in many languages referring to cornerstones or foundation stones of character, faith, liberty, or other excellences. Q: Stephens even met with President Lincoln, an old friend from Congress, in an effort to reach peace between the North and South.