apr 12, 1861 - Jefferson Davis

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After serving as Franklin Pierce's Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis was appointed as the first (and only) President of the Confederacy. By sending troops to counter the reinforcements Lincoln sent to Fort Sumter, he assigned the South with the responsibility of taking the first strike of the Civil War. Despite an impressive political career, a combination of the Confederacy's fear of a strong federal government and Davis's stubborn personality led to poor economic regulation, lack of union between states and eventually surrender.

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