Civil War History - Secession and PoliticsWas it Slavery, or was it States Rights? Perhaps it was the election of Lincoln? What were the real reasons for Southern Secession and what were the political issues in this time of war? Find your answers here in the Secession and Politics Disussion.
I can understand the upper class wishing to preserve slavery, but not your typical farmer or tradesman who made up the soldiers of Lee's army. Why would they wish to defend an institution that takes jobs and money away from them? Why in the world would they even want to protect it? It baffles the mind.
I also cannot see the north 'all teary eyed' over the issue of blacks being enslaved. Particularly when you consider that blacks were looked down upon more in the north than in the south. Whatever the propaganda, blacks were not treated as equals in northern states and even while slavery was illegal they still had second class citizenry. The north was not the open minded society it pretended to be. They treated the Irish along with Poles, Russians, Germans et al with as much scorn as they did the blacks . Let us not forget the treatment of the Indians. In my opinion, their story should be classified along with the Jews as a Holocaust and our country should be ashamed of its policies towards them. Basically in the north, if you weren't a W.A.S.P. you could write off any attempt to belong in 'proper' society and in some ways, immigrants were no better off in the new world as they were in the old.
I can see patriotism as a greater influence on both sides to fight than the issue of slavery did. The north wanted to defend the Union; the south to defend their state from northern aggression.
__________________ A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal ~ Oscar Wilde, 19th Century writer & poet
MK,
Right on, brother! There are an awful lot of folks that will argue that point with you!, I, of course, am not one of them. Many have put the 'want, or wish, to be a slave owner' label, on the average Southern fighting man. In spite of the ranting otherwise, your point of, patriotism, as a greater influence, to fight and defend their state from Northern aggression, is well made, and by far, the main reason for average 'Johnny Reb', going to War in the first place.
I just cannot fathom the average Confederate soldier giving up his life for the privilege of a well to do plantation owners' right to own slaves. True, he may not have cared much for the 'darkies', but he wasn't going to lay down his life to keep them, either, because they didn't mean that much to him, meaning, that he wasn't about to die to keep them as slaves. The hypocrocy of the North dealing with this matter slays me, but then, they won the war, didn't they? So I suppose they can tell the story the way they want to, and we're supposed to believe it, pretty much without question, even to the contrary of what anyone else may say.
I can see patriotism as a greater influence on both sides to fight than the issue of slavery did. The north wanted to defend the Union; the south to defend their state from northern aggression.
Gentlemen:
I too find the hypocricy and the moral highground taken by the North as quite difficult to swallow. All Americans believed that blacks were morally and intellectually inferior, and that it would be preposterous for the two races to live together on equal footing. Without this exclusive mindset you can't possibly subjugate an entire race of people.
Slavery was certainly an issue, but not the only issue. If you combine the Republican party's attempts at hiding greed behind anti-slavery morality, and the arrogance of the Manifest Destiny, the audacity is quite startling. And the Northern capitalist's dream of profit making in the west did not include living with blacks; while the Northern war profiteers sat back and watched their riches pile up, the South was completely and utterly dismantled.
Dawna
As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular. ~Oscar Wilde~
I can understand the upper class wishing to preserve slavery, but not your typical farmer or tradesman who made up the soldiers of Lee's army. Why would they wish to defend an institution that takes jobs and money away from them? Why in the world would they even want to protect it? It baffles the mind.
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Very simply, about 1/3 of the families in the south owned slaves. That's a sizeable portion. Then there were a number of folks who supported the institution. Many nonslaveholding farmers rented slaves. Some nonslaveholders were slave catchers.
But the institution of slavery was not just an economic institution providing labor. It was also a social institution guaranteeing white supremacy. As long as there was slavery, every white man was superior in status to every black man, and blacks would never be viewed as the equal of whites.
I also cannot see the north 'all teary eyed' over the issue of blacks being enslaved. Particularly when you consider that blacks were looked down upon more in the north than in the south.
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That's simply not the case. Now, Northerners were quite racist as well. I'm not saying anything to the contrary. But claiming they were looked down upon MORE in the North than in the south is not true. Blacks in the North may have been subject to prejudice, but they could also keep everything they earned. They could move to other cities. They could own businesses. They could own property. Except for Delaware and 18 elderly slaves in New Jersey, 100% of the blacks in the North were free.
I'm afraid you've fallen for some propaganda. The actual history on this is far different from what you've been led to believe.
If you combine the Republican party's attempts at hiding greed behind anti-slavery morality, and the arrogance of the Manifest Destiny, the audacity is quite startling.
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But Dawna, it was southerners who made the Manifest Destiny cry, in order to build an empire for slavery.
First of all, please explain what states you believe are “north” if we go by the sides in the ACW you have to count the three slave states in the Union as North…
Secondly, racism was VERY strong in the North. A northerner would be highly insulted to be “dirtied” by a black man brushing against him, while down south they probably played together as children.
As to move where they want and own there own business, in “dark town” sure, but not “where they wanted” or they would have been burned to the ground.
First of all, please explain what states you believe are “north” if we go by the sides in the ACW you have to count the three slave states in the Union as North…
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Of the slave states that remained in the Union, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri were all southern states. Delaware was a northern state.
Secondly, racism was VERY strong in the North. A northerner would be highly insulted to be “dirtied” by a black man brushing against him, while down south they probably played together as children.
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I've never said racism was not very strong in the North. I objected to the statement that blacks were looked down on MORE in the North than in the South.
...it was southerners who made the Manifest Destiny cry, in order to build an empire for slavery.
Sorry Cash, but any intellect I might have harboured seems to be rivalled only by garden tools this morning, and I'm not following your logic? :-)
Dawna
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Dawna,
I'm sorry I wasn't clearer. Your post appeared to me to put the blame of Manifest Destiny on Northerners, or the Republican Party: "If you combine the Republican party's attempts at hiding greed behind anti-slavery morality, and the arrogance of the Manifest Destiny, the audacity is quite startling."
I was merely pointing out that the "blame" for Manifest Destiny, if any should attach, should more rightly go to the southerners who wanted to expand the United States in order to expand slavery.
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