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I'm with you. I was born and raised in the South. Even all through my school years in the 1950s and 1960s, it was all about slavery. War started because ALL southerners had slaves and north wanted to get rid of slavery. NO MENTION of the states rights issues. It was always about slavery. Even in college in the early 1970s, it was about slavery. All I know is my daddy and mama came from very, very humble back grounds, way out in the country on a farm, and I have visited my dad's old home place, and YES, they had to walk three miles to the main highway just too catch a bus to school. Probably not snowing, but certainly cold in the winters. I know that they never owned any slaves. My dad was a welder by profession and my mom a house wife and later after I was gone (I was the youngest), she went to work in a local grocery store just to have something too do during the days while dad was at work. Weren't no slaves around our house. So, that ALL southerners having slaves was pure yankee B.S. My dad and mom and their families worked those farm fields. My dad said that during the depression, they did not know there was one, because they were poor country folks anyway. But, they had food because they grew it, fished and hunted it, and raised chickens, cows, horses, etc. So, they had the ability to take care of themselves.

Yeah, I guess it takes being from the South, during that time to really know how it was. My time of growing up, during school years was split between Texas and Oregon, so I got to see two divergent views.

And from what I could see (and still can see), people outside the South are not very comfortable with blacks around, not as much as people in the South would be more comfortable. And by that, I do in being courteous, doing day-to-day business, in casual and passing greetings and so on.

Outside the south, people are actually afraid of blacks. Of course, I do remember that Oregon had written into their Constitution (originally) that it was illegal for blacks to live in the state... LOL... Of course, they had to change that, much later. In 1857 they voted on their state Constitution and made it illegal for blacks to live in the state. It was not until 1902 that their Constitution was changed.

The point here is that the problem with blacks (including slavery and discrimination) is actually more of a problem in states outside of the South, than it is in the South. In the “North” (and the other states outside of the South), people may give “lip service” towards blacks and their rights (as normal human beings) — but they are not personally comfortable interacting with them and they don’t really want to see them around and they don’t want to mix with them. In the South, it’s a much more friendly and accommodating atmosphere, in this regard.

I remember coming back to Texas after some years in school (to visit for a while) and having been in the “white state” of Oregon for so long, it was sort of a shock to see how well the black population was mixed in with everything in Dallas. But, then again, I did remember back to my earlier years, and my view was somewhat slanted (for a while) by being in Oregon.

I’m saying this from having observed it in different places with different historical backgrounds. I’m in Oklahoma right now and it’s certainly not the same as it is in Oregon... LOL...

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You were talking about your mom and dad not having slaves. Of course, they wouldn’t because I doubt your dad goes as far back as the Civil War. Perhaps you were talking about your great grandfather, instead. That would have been his time, around the time of the Civil War.

And that reminds me, when I was in Houston, as a kid, I remember the death and funeral of the last (formerly) living combatant in the Civil War. With him, the Civil War was finally gone...

The last State Convention for Confederates was held in 1937 at the Commercial Hotel in Corsicana, Texas. The remaining six Confederate soldiers were present. They were M. H. Wolfe, Corsicana; Thomas E. Riddles, Austin; Walter Williams, Franklin; George Kent of Corsicana, James M. Huff and Mr. Hook. Of these six, Walter Williams was the last soldier. He died in 1959 at the age of one hundred seventeen (117) years. He was the last of the soldiers of the Civil War.

And so, I went by that funeral home and said to myself, “Remember this, because it’s the passing of history...”

[*** And I realize that some dispute this designation for this guy, but even so, he *was definitely* recognized as such in the papers and nationally, at the time. And his “status” as being a Civil War veteran went, at least, as far back as records of 1937, as stated above. So, I’ll jjust leave the disputes on whether he was the last one or not to others — and just say that it was definitely printed up in the papers and nationally, this way — at the time it happened. ***]

And so it goes with the Civil War....

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As an interesting side note, I have an ex-wife who was raised by a black “mammy”. I know a lot of people reject this as a stereotype, but it was true..., at least from my source, my ex (her being raised by one). So, she had a black mammy (I guess you could think the “Gone with the Wind” type..., or Aunt Jemima, or whatever, but the woman did take care of the kids in the family). I wasn’t raised that way, but she was, and it was a normal thing, apparently, according to her. Well..., that was just a comment that comes from memories being recalled.

Which, then, raises another memory of watching Amos and Andy on TV back in Houston, I remember Amos, Andy and Kingfish. I used to watch that show all the time, along with others, of course. These particular actors in the TV show *were* black, regardless of the other ones that might not have been.

Okay, enough of the nostalgia of a different time and era...