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Posted on 10/13/2003 7:07:18 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
An accounting of why and for what some people chose to fight the consolidated government of Washington D.C. is rewriting history?
The movie does a fine job of explaining why many fought, and even how the war turned to the question of slavery. The people trying to act like the war wasn't about more than just slavery are guilty of rewriting history, but the victor has that perogative...
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If history must be re-written, if socialism needs to be heralded; whatever is required.....all must be educated to hate the South.
If only the South had first freed their slaves, the North would not have had any problem with secession. (/sarcasm)
In what way?
Who, but the federal government of the North, could have nurtured, grown, defended, bankrolled, and built an entire empire on the selling/trading of slaves?
Slavery was introduced to the South by the North. The North had slaves before the South, and kept slaves after those in the South were freed.
Who's downplaying an economic system of slavery here?
(but, that's different though)
What would patriotic Americans then be fighting for: gay rights or nations' rights?
Did religious people at war in the 1800's speak like MTV hosts?
An interesting question is how people spoke in various times in the past, e.g., what degree of formality did they use in daily speech, did they speak in "paragraphs". There are letters, and speeches available, but no one transcribes daily conversation.
Today's communication style of camera cuts, product placement, what's-on-the-other-channel and got-a-3 o'clock biases the modern perspective.
Gods and Generals is a fascinating movie, for the speech and the battle scenes (the only movie civil war battle scenes that smack of realism).
Slavery was firmly established in the Union before the South even existed.
Why should the South be ashamed, but not the North? Why did the North keep slaves after those in the South were freed?
Perhaps if you called my a liar again we could both dodge, & avoid, these questions.
Haven't seen the movie, but read the book by Jeff Shaara (who recently did the 3 hr Booknotes interview on C-SPAN). He did not delve into the politics of the war , in his book(s). He merely described the events through the eyes of the major players; Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson, Grant,etc. He did it in novel form, though he tried to remain as historically acurate as he could.And whether you love or hate the South and their cause, you can't deny that the men of the Confederacy fought bravely and fought well.
I'd like to see the movie,but Shaara implied it was not true to the book.
If their object had really been to abolish slavery, or maintain liberty or justice generally, they had only to say: All, whether white or black, who want the protection of this government, shall have it; and all who do not want it, will be left in peace, so long as they leave us in peace. Had they said this, slavery would necessarily have been abolished at once; the war would have been saved; and a thousand times nobler union than we have ever had would have been the result. It would have been a voluntary union of free men; such a union as will one day exist among all men, the world over, if the several nations, so called, shall ever get rid of the usurpers, robbers, and murderers, called governments, that now plunder, enslave, and destroy them.
Still another of the frauds of these men is, that they are now establishing, and that the war was designed to establish, "a government of consent." The only idea they have ever manifested as to what is a government of consent, is this--that it is one to which everybody must consent, or be shot. This idea was the dominant one on which the war was carried on; and it is the dominant one, now that we have got what is called "peace."
Their pretenses that they have "Saved the Country," and "Preserved our Glorious Union," are frauds like all the rest of their pretenses. By them they mean simply that they have subjugated, and maintained their power over, an unwilling people. This they call "Saving the Country"; as if an enslaved and subjugated people--or as if any people kept in subjection by the sword (as it is intended that all of us shall be hereafter)--could be said to have any country. This, too, they call "Preserving our Glorious Union"; as if there could be said to be any Union, glorious or inglorious, that was not voluntary. Or as if there could be said to be any union between masters and slaves; between those who conquer, and those who are subjugated.
All these cries of having "abolished slavery," of having "saved the country," of having "preserved the union," of establishing "a government of consent," and of "maintaining the national honor," are all gross, shameless, transparent cheats--so transparent that they ought to deceive no one--when uttered as justifications for the war, or for the government that has succeeded the war, or for now compelling the people to pay the cost of the war, or for compelling anybody to support a government that he does not want." - Lysander Spooner, "No Treason" 1870
He has them and exercised them. He's not in jail, which is more than can be said for newspaper editors who did not agree with Lincoln's effort to conquer the Confederacy.
Slavery was one of many factors in this war. States' Rights and an encroaching Federal Government were, in my opinion, much greater contributors. Now, the liberals are trying to reopen old wounds and further split this country apart. I personally resent their activities as unAmerican and treasonous.
Are you suggesting that Virginia was a confederate state at that time? Even after independence was won, Virginia was a Union state.
The Union invested heavily, and received a healthy return on their slave trading.
But, let's blame the Dutch, or the Canadians, or the South, or anybody convenient. Just not the friends of big government, the North.
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