Another group of victims of the war and the slave system

YankeeDoodle

Corporal
Annual Winner
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Hello everyone





I haven’t really been around here very much the past couple of weeks as I have been very busy with the number of projects. One thing, however, which I have done, is to read a book called “Journey through the Desolated States,” written in 1866. I’m about two thirds of the way through.

It’s almost like being in a time machine going back with this guy, L. Stebbens, as he travels from place to place in the South after the Civil War.

He talks with a lot of people and gets their opinion on a number of things and it’s pretty obvious to me that the rebellion is far from over and it’s also sad to hear of the poverty and suffering of the poor people both black and white.



The planters were varied bunch some sympathetic to the new changes others not so much. Some were financially ruined others managed to survive. Some were willing to try free labor others could not accept the idea of free blacks. Right then there were movements to prevent blacks from voting or testifying in court. In fact, white smugglers used blacks because if they were caught they could not testify against them in court.

The outrageous thing to me was that many of them received pardons for their role in rebellion and they were given their lands back while the same time they were busy passing laws forbidding blacks to vote and some of those blacks had actually fought in the Civil War on behalf of the union! How unjust that? The wealthier rebels get their lands and their vote back all those who fought for the Union have neither lands nor the right to vote and the poor are poor as ever.



All this is a way of saying that there is another tragedy to the Civil War which I can more fully coming to realize and that is the tragedy of the poor white Southerner who was first forced to compete with slave labor to make a living and then lied to and propagandize into believing that the slaveholders and the rich and powerful of that era actually represented his interests. To me it’s an example of how people can be instilled with fear and lies to vote against their own self-interest with nonsense.. ( I can think of a better word ..beginning with “B” ) about patriotism and defending their honor. These are the very same people that were referred to in the hateful expression “poor white trash.” No one is ever “trash” no matter how poor! How arrogant of these rebellious aristocrats!

Why did the average Southerners not see through this? Were they blinded by their hated or fear of blacks? Or was it that from birth to death they were told by the churches and media and opinion leaders of the day that slavery was a good thing and they would be in dire jeopardy if the evil North did away with it?

One such character in the book actually went to the North and discovered all the things his fellow reb said were untrue but they did not believe him…

So I say that one of the great tragedies that gets overlooked is the plight of the poor white southerner who never seemed to realize how he was being used as just a pawn in just a much bigger game.



But maybe I am wrong on all of this….



As I finish this book I might have a few more thoughts to share but I thought I would just post this for now to see what others think.
 
Back
Top