On this date 150 years ago, at Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the President of the Confederacy. In his inaugural address, he pointed out "the American idea that governments rest on the consent of the governed." It was clear that he would like to avoid armed conflict, but it was also apparent that he held the Southern position to be sacred. His words - "obstacles may retard, but they cannot long prevent, the progress of a movement sactified by its justice" - leave little doubt as to to his dedication.