alt.war.civil.usa

veritas writes:


> Most modern historians will tell you that slavery was not the issue of
> the civil war. As President Lincoln said, "I would allow slavery, I
> would all almost anything to keep the country together." But, to some
> of the people opposed to slavery it was about that issue. But, for
> the the most part is was a matter of whether a state could secede from
> the Union. Something that New England has threatened three times,
> 1803, 1812, and 1846. It was not like it was an unheard of thing to
> do. But, the slavery issue was important only after President Lincoln
> was conviced that is would cause trouble for the south. Notice he did
> not free the slaves in the two slave states that remained in the
> Union. It was a political move. Do not think the North did not
> "punish" the south for many years after the civil war, they certainly
> did, and to an extent still try.

[ big snip]

> Ken Hogan

Hi Ken,

I think it's best to stop trying to defend or justify ante-bellum
slavery and the CSA, and I recommend just letting these go.

After doing this, one may be just as southern as before doing it.
Nothing changes, expect opinions about a long-ago past.

There are many ways, other than opinions about historical topics, to
explore southern-ness: cuisines, literature, accents, geographies,
sports, names and genealogies, varieties of religiosity, music,
architecture, flora and fauna. For a knowledgeable person, sounds,
tastes, and images spring immediately to mind in connection with these
topics.

If you think the Yankees do too much south-bashing, then, instead of
arguing with them, study them: examine their opinions about "the
South", trace how these opinions became installed in their culture,
consider whether their opinions contain helpful suggestions for a
better future. I've been doing this for some time, and find the
pursuit interesting and rewarding. For a first step, find the essay by
Edward Ayers, "What we talk about when we talk about the South."

Best wishes,
--
Hugh Lawson
hlawson@triad.rr.com