The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, also known as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a
congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
of
deputies
A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for e ...
and
delegates called together from the
Southern States which became the
governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...
of the
Provisional Government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...
of the
Confederate States
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
from February 4, 1861, to February 17, 1862. It sat in
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 2020 ...
, until May 21, 1861, when it adjourned to meet in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, on July 20, 1861. In both cities, it met in the existing state capitols which it shared with the respective secessionist state legislatures. It added new members as other states
seceded from the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''U ...
and directed the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
on November 6, 1861, at which a permanent government was elected.
First Session
The First Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Montgomery from February 4, 1861, to March 16, 1861. Members were present from
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...
,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Missis ...
,
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, and
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by b ...
. It drafted a
provisional constitution A provisional constitution, interim constitution or transitional constitution is a constitution intended to serve during a transitional period until a permanent constitution is adopted. The following countries currently have,had in the past,such a c ...
and set up a government. For
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and
vice-president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
, it selected
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
of Mississippi and
Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia.
[
]
Constitutional Convention
The Confederate States of America Constitutional Convention was held at Montgomery from February 28, 1861, to March 11, 1861.
Second Session
The Second Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Montgomery from April 29, 1861, to May 21, 1861. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
, and Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
.
Third Session
The Third Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Richmond from July 20, 1861, to August 31, 1861. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and S ...
, and Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to t ...
.
Fourth Session
The Fourth Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Richmond on September 3, 1861. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Fifth Session
The Fifth Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Richmond from November 18, 1861, to February 17, 1862. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, and Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to ...
. One non-voting member was present from the Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
.
Leadership
* President: Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 18 ...
Members
Deputies
Deputies from the first seven states to secede formed the first two sessions of the Congress.
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
* Richard W. Walker
* Robert H. Smith
* Colin J. McRae
* John Gill Shorter
John Gill Shorter (April 23, 1818 – May 29, 1872) was an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Alabama from 1861 to 1863. Prior to assuming the governorship, Shorter was a Deputy from Alabama to the Provisional Congress of th ...
(''resigned'' November 1861)
** Cornelius Robinson (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy; resigned'' January 24, 1862)
* W. P. Chilton
* Stephen F. Hale
* David P. Lewis (''resigned'' April 29, 1861)
** Nic. Davis, Jr. (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'')
* Thomas Fearn (''resigned'' April 29, 1861)
** H. C. Jones (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'')
* J. L. M. Curry
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...
* J. Patton Anderson (''resigned'' April 8, 1861)
** George Taliaferro Ward (''took his seat on '' May 2, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy; resigned ''February 5, 1862)
** John Pease Sanderson (''took his seat on '' February 5, 1862 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'')
* James B. Owens
* Jackson Morton (''took his seat on '' February 6, 1861)
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
* Robert Toombs
Robert Augustus Toombs (July 2, 1810 – December 15, 1885) was an American politician from Georgia, who was an important figure in the formation of the Confederacy. From a privileged background as a wealthy planter and slaveholder, Toomb ...
* Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 18 ...
* F. S. Bartow (''killed'' July 21, 1861 ''at the First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas '')
** Thomas Marsh Forman (''took his seat on'' August 7, 1861 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'')
* M. J. Crawford
* E. A. Nisbet (''resigned'' December 10, 1861)
** Nathan Henry Bass, Sr. (''took his seat on'' January 14, 1862 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'')
* B. H. Hill
* A. R. Wright
* T. R. R. Cobb
* A. H. Kenan
* A. H. Stephens
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...
* John Perkins, Jr.
* Alexander de Clouet
* Charles M. Conrad
* Duncan F. Kenner
* Edward Sparrow
* Henry Marshall
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Missis ...
* A. M. Clayton (''resigned'' May 11, 1861)
** Alexander Blackburn Bradford (''took his seat on'' December 5, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'')
* James T. Harrison
* William S. Barry
* J. A. P. Campbell
* Wiley P. Harris
* Walker Brooke
* William S. Wilson (''resigned'' April 29, 1861)
** J. A. Orr (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'')
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
* Robert Barnwell Rhett
* Robert W. Barnwell
* Christopher Gustavus Memminger
* James Chesnut, Jr.
* William Porcher Miles
William Porcher Miles (July 4, 1822 – May 11, 1899) was an American politician who was among the ardent states' rights advocates, supporters of slavery, and Southern secessionists who came to be known as the "Fire-Eaters." He is notable for ha ...
* Laurence M. Keitt
* Thomas J. Withers (''resigned'' May 21, 1861 ''after second session'')
** James Lawrence Orr
James Lawrence Orr (May 12, 1822May 5, 1873) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 22nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1859. He also served as the 73rd governor of South Carolina from 1865 ...
(''took his seat on'' February 17, 1862 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'')
* William W. Boyce
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by b ...
* John Gregg (''took his seat on'' February 15, 1861)
* Thomas N. Waul (''took his seat on'' February 19, 1861)
* W. S. Oldham (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861)
* J. H. Reagan (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861)
* John Hemphill (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861; ''died'' January 4, 1862)
* W. B. Ochiltree (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861)
* L. T. Wigfall (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861)
Delegates
Representatives from states to secede after the Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War.
Follo ...
were referred to as delegates, in contrast to the deputies from the original seven states.
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
* Augustus Hill Garland
Augustus Hill Garland (June 11, 1832 – January 26, 1899) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Arkansas, who initially opposed Arkansas' secession from the United States, but later served in both houses of the Congres ...
* Robert Ward Johnson
Robert Ward Johnson (July 22, 1814 – July 26, 1879) was an American planter and lawyer who served as the senior Confederate States senator for Arkansas, a seat that he was elected to in 1861. He previously served as a delegate from Arkansas ...
* Albert Rust
Albert Rust (April 4, 1870) was an American politician and slaveholder, who served as a delegate from Arkansas to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1862. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representa ...
* Hugh French Thomason
* William Wirt Watkins
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to ...
* Henry Cornelius Burnett
Henry Cornelius Burnett (October 25, 1825 – October 1, 1866) was an American politician who served as a Confederate States senator from Kentucky from 1862 to 1865. From 1855 to 1861, Burnett served four terms in the United States House of Repr ...
* Theodore Legrand Burnett
* John Milton Elliott
* George Washington Ewing
* Samuel Howard Ford
* George Baird Hodge
* Thomas Johnson
* Thomas Bell Monroe
Thomas Bell Monroe (October 7, 1791 – December 24, 1865) was the 15th Secretary of State of Kentucky and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kentucky.
Education and career
Born on October 7 ...
* John J. Thomas
* Daniel Price White
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
* Caspar Wistar Bell
* John Bullock Clark, Sr.
* Aaron H. Conrow
* William Mordecai Cooke, Sr.
* Thomas W. Freeman
* Thomas Alexander Harris
* Robert Ludwell Yates Peyton
* George Graham Vest
George Graham Vest (December 6, 1830August 9, 1904) was a U.S. politician. Born in Frankfort, Kentucky, he was known for his skills in oration and debate. Vest, a lawyer as well as a politician, served as a Missouri Congressman, a Confederate ...
* Delegate-elect Hyer never took his seat
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and S ...
* William Waightstill Avery
* Francis Burton Craige
* Allen Turner Davidson
* George Davis
* Thomas David Smith McDowell
* John Motley Morehead
John Motley Morehead (July 4, 1796 – August 27, 1866) was an American lawyer and politician who became the 29th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina (1841 to 1845). He became known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina."
Early ...
* Richard Clauselle Puryear
* Thomas Hart Ruffin
* William Nathan Harrell Smith
* Abraham Watkins Venable
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to t ...
* John DeWitt Clinton Atkins
John DeWitt Clinton Atkins (June 4, 1825 – June 2, 1908) was an American slave owner, politician and a member of both the United States House of Representatives and Confederate Congress from Tennessee.
Biography
Johnathan Atkins was born at ...
* Robert Looney Caruthers
* David Maney Currin
* William Henry DeWitt
* John Ford House
* Thomas McKissick Jones
* James Houston Thomas
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
* Thomas Salem Bocock
* Alexander Boteler
Alexander Robinson Boteler (May 16, 1815 – May 8, 1892) was a nineteenth-century planter turned businessman, as well as artist, writer, lawyer, Confederate officer, philanthropist and politician from Shepherdstown in what was initially Virgin ...
* John White Brockenbrough
* Gideon D. Camden (''resigned'' June 1861)
* R. M. T. Hunter
* Robert Johnston
* William Hamilton MacFarland
* James Mason
James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...
* Walter Preston
* William Ballard Preston
* Roger Atkinson Pryor
* William Cabell Rives
William Cabell Rives (May 4, 1793April 25, 1868) was an American lawyer, planter, politician and diplomat from Virginia. Initially a Jackson Democrat as well as member of the First Families of Virginia, Rives served in the Virginia House of Deleg ...
* Charles Wells Russell
* Robert Eden Scott
* James Alexander Seddon
* Waller Redd Staples
* John Tyler
John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticke ...
(''died'' January 18, 1862)
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
* Granville Henderson Oury
Granville Henderson Oury (March 12, 1825 – January 11, 1891) was a nineteenth-century American politician, lawyer, judge, soldier, and miner.
Early life
Born in Abingdon, Virginia; Granville Henderson Oury and his family moved to Bowling Gre ...
Notes
References
*
* Thomas, Emory M. (1998), ''The Confederate State of Richmond: A Biography of the Capital'', Louisiana State University Press
The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of American Univer ...
.
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Confederate States, Provisional Congress Of The
1861 establishments in the Confederate States of America
1862 disestablishments in the Confederate States of America
Confederate States
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
Defunct national legislatures
Legislative branch of the Confederate States of America government
Confederate States
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...