“Loyalty and patriotism were understood in those days in this priorty: 1)Family, 2)State, 3)Nation.”
Thanks for bringing that up. So many of us form our opinions on the past based on our contemporary perceptions. We are as foreign a society in culture and thought from the Pre-1860 era as they were from being a modern culture.
Pre WBtS, the federal government’s daily or weekly impact on a person’s life was the mail service. The State was supreme in society and each one had a pride and dignity that was celebrated by its people.
"Citizens, by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations." -- George Washington, 1796