Joe Brown  "Ardent State's-Rights Advocate"  April 15, 1821 - November 30, 1894

"What will we have gained when we have achieved our independence of the Northern States, if in our efforts to do so, we have... lost Constitutional Liberty at home?" asked Georgia Gov. Joseph Emerson Brown. A states'-rights advocate seen as extremely strict even in a country founded on the principle of states' rights, Joe Brown could never agree with any of the policies of the Confederate government that he felt usurped the authority of the states. The total war being fought by the Confederacy, however, necessitated that certain war measures be taken by a strong central government in order for the country to survive. Governor Brown, Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens, and Gen. Robert A. Toombs controlled Georgia politics and were united in opposition to the administration's policies, feuding bitterly with President Jefferson Davis in a manner resembling a personal vendetta.

Confederate draft policies and presidential authority to suspend the writ of habeas corpus particularly rankled Governor Brown. Though early in the war he had been very active in raising troops for the cause, he offset some of the effects of the draft laws on Georgians by appointing thousands of men in his state to sham governmental positions that were exempt from the draft. He resented the government's practice of appointing field officers for state forces in Confederate service and lashed out at what he considered unconstitutional government-imposed tax laws. He would allow the state militia to be used only in Georgia and refused to let it be of service in neighboring states.

Jefferson Davis considered Brown a major obstacle in the prosecution of the war, and they exchanged many angry letters arguing these policies. Brown felt that by strictly upholding the principles of states' rights he was ensuring that the type of government established by Jefferson Davis would not prevail after the South had won its independence.

Fascinating Fact:  Georgians ostracized Joe Brown after the war when he embraced the Republicans and became what was known as a scalawag. However, his business dealings helped rebuild the state, and he eventually served as a U.S. senator and as chief justice of the state supreme court.


Back to index page