“Who looks back with more shame and regret: The Nazi’s or the southern racists? I pretty much think it’s a tie. “
That was one of the more ignorant statements ever made on FR.
The North had slavery during the Civil War. Slavery was started in the north by a black man enslaving another black man (Anthony Johnson enslaved John Castor). Lincoln didn’t free the slaves, the 13th amendment did. Lincoln never wanted to free any slaves per his first inaugural address 1861: “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”
I guess your public school propaganda didn’t bother to tell you about those facts. They just taught you to not think and be a liberal yelling racism against the South. Why would the liberal school system do that? Because the South were Republicans and the school system needed Democrats.
And when Lincoln did issue the emancipation proclimation, it only covered the secceded Southern States, NOT the North or the slaves in the North. And the proclimation was done in the latter part of the war, when the North was losing.
The war was about states' rights. More states' rights would give us a smaller, less over-reaching federal government.
Slavery, as an institution was on it's way out in the South, And, no, everyone didn't get machinery overnight - but you don't teach and entire class of people to read, write, and handle money overnight either. Turning people (whatever their race) out of the only homes and way of life they knew with NO abilty to manage in the outside world is just wrong. The transition from slavery would have happened, and it could have been done in such a way as not to immediately create a starving underclass. But no, the North marched in, set them free and walked away from them.
Ok...maybe comparing the southerners to the Nazi’s was a bit harsh......maybe. You have quoted Lincoln correctly but, you must remember that the man was a politician. His ultimae goal was always to end slavery but, it was a labyrinth of games, double talk, speeches, and gamesmenship. All politicians try to please all sides at once, surely you know this? In the end, slavery was anded. And, it was ended by President Lincoln. That’s the only fact that matters.
As far as your thoughts on my opinion of the south goes, yes, I suppose I do think the south has a cross to bear when it comes to their history on race, slavery, and civil rights. It’s a pretty ugly period right up to the 1960’s. The only thing I will concede in your defense is that Northern racism has gone under reported by historians. Perhaps you should be the one to start reporting on it.