This Month in Senate History: January 21, 1861

"In a scene of high drama, Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis and four southern colleagues rose on the Senate floor to to ffer final remarks before withdrawing from the body and returning to their states. As spectators jammed the galleries, Davis ... stated his belief that sovereign states had the right to leave the Union.... Within weeks, Davis would become president of the Confederate States of America, a position he held throughout the Civil War."

This factoid appears in "January: This Month in Senate History," Y 1.3:S.PUB.105-32, one of a series of pamphlets published by the Senate Historical Office. These pamphlets may be found at the ULM Library in the file cabinets located in Media Services, Room 205. Ask for assistance in the Government Publications Office, Room 210.