“As mentioned above, I realize troops under Lincoln’s authority burned towns and districts, although they seldom, if ever, massacred civilians.”
You are wrong to say they “they seldom, if ever, massacred civilians.”
There are many documented accounts of Northern troops killing civilians. Their tactic was to accuse then of helping the confederacy and killing them on the spot.
Yes the democrats were the conservative party.
I see the roots of progressivism in Lincoln if you don’t then that’s alright no harm no foul I just think you are wrong.
As far as trying to fit anyone into a different era politically I have no idea what you mean. Your intellect must be so far above me I’m not worthy to discuss it with.
If States rights had been preserved we would most likely not be in the mess we are in right now in my opinion.
Yes, Union troops killed civiliansthey believed were aiding the enemy. As did Confederate troops.
I said massacred, not killed. There were few large-scale mass killings of civilians, which is remarkably unusual for great civil wars.
\I was not trying to be snide when I said IMO it’s difficult to directly compare political positions in one era with those in another.
For instance, the Democratic Party in 1860 was the party of those who saw themselves as outsiders in America: slaveowners, immigrants, poor people. The Republicans and the Whigs before them, OTOH, were in general the party of those who saw themselves as insiders: wealthier, better educated, etc.
The Democrats were on the side of the “common man,” but it was the common white man. Meanwhile at least some segments of the Republicans were better able to side with blacks because they didn’t see themselves as in potential competition with them.
The political issues in 1860 or 1865 had little in common with those of 1900. Or of today, FTM.