The American Civil War

[Cloud]

are you saying that everyone thinks the Civil War was only about slavery? It never was, and anyone who thinks so is seriously misinformed. It was just as much, if not more, about economics (of which slavery certainly played a part); and ideological differences that had been smoldering since the founding. And are smoldering still.

Has history been "rewritten"? Possibly. Likely, even--it's an inevitable process condensing historical acts through the long lense of hindsight. But I think the problem is more ignorance--the facts are there if one cares to look.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Cloud

are you saying that everyone thinks the Civil War was only about slavery?

You'd be suprised at what has happened in history education. It is shifting again but there were a lot of social studies teachers trained to believe that saying it was about more than slavery was an insult to African-Americans. When I was in training the sociology majors were better at toeing the line as social studies teachers because they didn't know any history.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Despite this expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free a single slave, it fundamentally transformed the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. Moreover, the Proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.

more

[Griff]

"immediately"
I should have written it that way.



btw- This thread was in response to something that popped up on another thread... it isn't as random as it looks.

[xoxoxoBruce]

You were certainly close enough.

[glatt]

The thing that amazes me about the Civil War is how alive it still is in the South. I'm from Maine, and I always lumped the Civil War in with the other old stuff I learned in history. The War of 1812, Spanish American War, etc. I thought the Revolutionary War was a far bigger deal than the Civil War because it's when we got our independence. Basically, I gave the Civil War no thought at all.

Then I moved to Northern Virginia. It was an eye opener. There are a lot of people around here from the South, and to them, the Civil War is more important than any other war in US history. If you ask them, they may say that the Revolutionary War, or the World Wars are more important, but they are only saying that because they think they are supposed to. Based on their actions, and what they talk about, the Civil War was just yesterday, and it is the most important war in US history.

It amazes me still. It was centuries ago, people!

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by glatt

It amazes me still. It was centuries ago, people!

Not to people around here. I live in Georgia.