Regarding the views of the U.S. Founding Fathers and their opposition to slavery, retirement speech (June 1859), as quoted in Lincoln's Defense of Politics: The Public Man and His Opponents, by Thomas E. Schneider, p. 27
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The leading public men of the South, in our early history, were almost all against it. Jefferson was against it. This I freely admit, when the authority of their names is cited. It was a question which they did not, and perhaps could not, thoroughly understand at that time.
— Alexander H. Stephens
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The leading public men of the South, in our early history, were almost all against it. Jefferson was against it. This I freely admit, when the authority of their names is cited. It was a question which they did not, and perhaps could not, thoroughly understand at that time." in the context of "Regarding the views of the U.S. Founding Fathers and their opposition to slavery, retirement speech (June 1859), as quoted in Lincoln's Defense of Politics: The Public Man and His Opponents, by Thomas E. Schneider, p. 27" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Alexander H. Stephens" (Quotes, 1850s)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Alexander H. Stephens
Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was a Democratic politician and lawyer from the U.S. state of Georgia, and the Confederate vice president throughout the American Civil War. His "Cornerstone Speech" of March 1861 defended slavery as the Confederacy's cause in the most uncompromising terms, though after the war ended in a Confederate defeat, he tried to retract those statements and distance himself from his earlier sentiments. In the course of the war, Stephens became increasingly critical of Confederate President Jefferson Davis' policies, especially conscription and the suspension of habeas corpus. In February 1865, he was one of the commissioners who met with U.S. president Abraham Lincoln at the abortive Hampton Roads Conference to discuss peace terms. After his arrest by the U.S. for his part in the rebellion against the country, he was released and served in Congress, being elected Governor of Georgia shortly before his death.
About Alexander H. Stephens
Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was a Democratic politician and lawyer from the U.S. state of Georgia, and the Confederate vice president throughout the American Civil War. His "Cornerstone Speech" of March 1861 defended slavery as the Confederacy's cause in the most uncompromising terms, though after the war ended in a Confederate defeat, he tried to retract those statements and distance himself from his earlier sentiments. In the course of the war, Stephens became increasingly critical of Confederate President Jefferson Davis' policies, especially conscription and the suspension of habeas corpus. In February 1865, he was one of the commissioners who met with U.S. president Abraham Lincoln at the abortive Hampton Roads Conference to discuss peace terms. After his arrest by the U.S. for his part in the rebellion against the country, he was released and served in Congress, being elected Governor of Georgia shortly before his death.
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