[wasp69]

Gentlemen, your thoughts?

[Robe]

I recall a quote by Ken Burns in his mini series "The Civil War"..He said.. (paraphrased) The cause which started the war was States Rights, the cause that finished it was slavery.....The latter was addressed at the end of the war, the former is still being debated today”

Although I don’t agree with everything stated in the series, it did a tolerable job of explaining things like Nullification and the Tariff issues that are generally obscure to most folks. Unfortunately although a lot of folks tuned in to the series, many just didn't/or want tounderstand the more complicated issues. IMHO

[Wm Bach]

Gentlemen, your thoughts?

Your addendum displayed neither thought, nor the grace suitable for civil debate amongst proper gentlemen.

[R. Scott]

"My fascination with the Civil War has less to do with military engagements than with the motivations of up to 1.5 million Southern men and boys wiling to die to tear the nation in two in defense of slavery, an utterly indefedsible institution."

Which gives the lie to -

"Had the conflict, also known as the War of the Southern Planters, been fought only by Southern slave owners, it would have been over in weeks rather than years. "

I have never heard the term, "War of the Southern Planters".

At least he does give a real and concrete reason for the war -

"The North wanted to build roads, canals and railroads to accommodate growing industries. Without personal or corporate taxation, revenue was raised by tariffs, which protected Northern products and increased prices of imported goods needed by the nonindustrialized South. "

[Ohioan]

My thoughts are that it is very sad to see a Virginian, who is basically apologetic for his heritage. It was that Virginia heritage, that more than any other, contributed to what became the common American ethos, during our formulative period.

Perhaps he should study a bit more World History. People fight for their Societies--it is part of the social compact that Jefferson discussed in the Declaration. One does not have to agree with everything that is established in one's Society, or to benefit from all of its customs and institutions, to recognize a duty to defend it.

One gets the sense that this writer is just now discovering a few of the things that he should have been taught in grade school. But his problem is not so much what he was not taught before, as the pernicious ideas that he was.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[leadpenny]

I have lurked on this thread since it started. Every high school social studies teacher should tap into it for real education material.

As an aside, local Channel 4 in DC had a report this morning concerning a lawsuit over the Virginia License Plates displaying the flag of the Confederacy. I don't know the source but evidently the Sons of the Confederacy won the latest round in court in their attempt to keep the plates. The report says that Virginia will now probably take it to the US Supremes.