War Speech, both Political and Religious

by Matt Cromwell

This is an analysis of two historical documents, both political and religious in nature. The

first is a sermon by Henry Ward Beecher, a prominent pastor and abolitionist in Brooklyn and

strong voice of anti-slavery. The second is a speech delivered in Savannah Georgia by the Vice

President of the Confederate States of America Alexander H. Stephens, often referred to as the

“Cornerstone Speech”.

In approaching these pieces several questions immediately arise. What distinguishes a

religious sermon from a political speech? Is it simply the venue? Is it the source material? Is it the

occupation of the speaker? Many prominent figures in the history of the United States have been

preachers or religious figures. For example, it is extremely difficult to distinguish political

language from religious imagery in Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s infamous “I Have a Dream”

speech. It is precisely the unique form of Church-State separation that we enjoy in the United

States that makes such distinctions difficult. For King’s namesake, the Protestant Reformer

Martin Luther, the question of political speech was never raised regarding his 95 Theses since the

Church functioned alongside the State as two arms of the same sovereign body. These questions

have extreme relevance when reviewing the sermon and speech materials surrounding the Civil

War era. The aim of this analysis is to bring to light the distinctly religious nature in which these

two individuals understood and justified the Civil War.

THE CORNERSTONE SPEECH Alexander H. Stephens was elected as Vice President

of the newly seceded Confederate States of America in the early months of 1861. He was well

known for his oratory skills as well as his legal prowess. As context, it must be said that Stephens

did not go lightly into secession. On the contrary, he actively argued that the southern states

should not succeed if at all possible (Cleveland, 146). His opinions on the Union were considered

conservative compared to other secessionists. Regardless, after one speech in November of 1860

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one of his “great opponents” replied “Fellow-citizens, we have just listened to a speech from one

of the brightest intellects and purest patriots that now lives. I move that this meeting now

adjourns, with three cheers for Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia" (Cleveland, 149). This context

will prove helpful in reviewing his famous Cornerstone Speech.

The Cornerstone Speech was given in Savannah, Georgia on March 21, 1861, on the heels of

President Lincoln’s inauguration. It received its name because of its most contentious claim: that

the cornerstone of the Confederacy is the “fact” that blacks are inferior to whites. Stephens

attributes this fact as being set in nature, the way God had ordered humanity to be. Whites were

to be superior to blacks because of the “curse of Canaan.” This phrase and ideology is a deeply

rooted theological concept that has dogged Christianity for centuries. The curse of Canaan refers

to the curse that Ham, son of Noah and “first father” of the land of Canaan, received when upon

seeing his father naked went out and told his brothers. His brothers in response covered Noah

while walking in to his tent backwards to as not to shame him as Ham had done. The result of this

curse was the long-term enslavement of the Canaanites to Hebrew nation. There is very little

evidence to link the early Canaanites to any modern civilization, but the predominant belief at

the time was that black Africans were direct descendants of Ham and the Canaanites.

Stephens refers to this curse and appeals to the law of nature almost interchangeably. It is

quite fascinating to read a justification of slavery (such a medieval and ignoble ideology to

modern ears) be justified by an appeal to science or the laws of nature. This is especially striking

when contrasting this “political speech” with the following sermon. Henry Ward Beecher appeals

to biblical analogy and Christian principles to argue forcefully against slavery. Ironically, modern

discussions about immigration or civil rights tend to have the more liberal leaning arguments rely

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War Speech, both Political and Religious
by Matt Cromwell

on science (specifically social science) while the conservatives appeal to so-called “Judeo-

Christian” morality.

THERE’S HONEY IN THAT LION Henry Ward Beecher began his career as the pastor

of a small congregation of 23 pilgrims from New England who transplanted themselves in

Brooklyn, N.Y. Plymouth Church, through the work of Beecher, would become one of the most

renowned centers of the anti-slavery movement in New York. By the time of this sermon his small

congregation had blossomed to roughly 2,000 members. It has been speculated that the church

may have also been known as “Grand Central Depot,” a major drop-off site of the secret

Underground Railroad (Plymouth Church). It is no wonder then that Beecher’s sermons are very

socially and politically aware.

Beecher’s “Thanksgiving Sermon” on war and emancipation took place on Thanksgiving

Day, Thursday, November 21, 1861. This is mere months after the war has officially begun but

casualties have already been made on both sides and it is clear that it will not end soon. Beecher

uses the analogy of the biblical character Sampson, while attempting to return to his wife has to

kill a lion and after succeeding finds that she has betrayed him. He then returns to the lion to

discover that a hive of bees has planted itself in the lion’s carcass and created honey there. The

metaphor is that the battle is ugly but necessary and that it will produce an unforeseen treasure.

That is the entire extent of his biblical exploration. He basically uses this analogy to justify his

opinion on the war effort and the proper response his congregants should have on it. This is in

stark contrast to much of the popular preaching of the day. This is shortly after the Second Great

Awakening, in which the preaching style entailed exegeting long biblical passages, then making

direct appeals to the congregants’ personal spiritual journey in order to provoke a public

response. Beecher, in contrast, is preaching of the virtuous role that the North is playing in this

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war as well as providing detailed political analysis of the best path forward for the national

government and how the states can support the effort. This is hardly a heart-warming evangelical

appeal to spiritual matters.

Beecher also makes the direct connection that the fight against slavery is specifically

because of Christian principles and that those principles are the foundation of this country. He

believes that slavery is an attack on the concept of equality and Christian freedom. He claims that

he and his parishioners would fight for the U.S. Constitution regardless of the cause, but it is

specifically because slavery attacks the aspect of the Constitution “which Christianity gave us, and

which has been working out for eighteen hundred years,” there is ever more the necessity to fight

and prevail (Beecher). The patriotism and nationalistic language is so tightly intertwined with the

religious as to be completely inseparable.

What makes these speeches such fascinating reading is the contrast. Both men are highly

educated; both make appeals to God and God’s creation to justify their positions; both believe the

position of the other is biblically, scientifically, and politically untenable. The old saying “the devil

can twist scripture to his own purpose” is a subtle undertone when holding these two men side by

side. It reveals the need for deeper research on whether the Christians of the north and the south

were self-aware enough to question how the opposing side could just as passionately and

sincerely justify themselves on Christian principles. Was that question a subject of debate, or did

they simply throw their detractors arguments aside as pure folly? Such a fruitful discussion would

be equally helpful to many political/religious dialogues of the present day.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beecher, Henry Ward, War and Emancipation: A Thanksgiving sermon, preached in the Plymouth
church, Brooklyn, N.Y., on Thursday, November 21, 1861, accessed on February 16, 2011,
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/ACK9291.0001.001

Cleveland, Henry, Alexander H. Stephens in Public and Private, National Publishing Company,
1866.

"Cornerstone Speech," Wikisource, The Free Library, accessed February 17, 2011
http://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Cornerstone_Speech&oldid=763267.

Plymouth Church. “Plymouth Church : About Our Church - Our History”, accessed on February
16, 2011, http://www.plymouthchurch.org/our_history.php.

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