Maverick
Member
This was submitted for a class assignment for my son working on his AA. It received an A-. I helped him with the research.
Northern Aggression and Southern Scars
For some the conflict of the 1860s is known as the War Between the States. This is not an accurate title since once the Southern states seceded they were another country and thus this was not a battle among states, but between two separate countries. It has been called the Civil War, but there was nothing civil about it. The War of Southern Independence or The War of Northern Aggression are more appropriate terms for this conflict. For indeed, the South was fighting to maintain its independence and the North was the aggressor.
It has been said that the South has never gotten over losing the war and hence the holding on to the various symbols and the battle cry of “The South shall rise again.” It is more probable that the North has never gotten over winning it or more likely, has never gotten over the guilt of it and hence the persistent vilification of the South until this day.
Recently, a black journalist out of Baltimore decried the defense of car tags issued to the Sons of the Confederate Veterans that bore their symbol, which includes a Confederate battle flag. He claims that they should be denied on a basis of patriotism because the flag represents a caste of traitors and a failed rebellion. This is an interesting concept considering that none of the leaders of the Confederacy were ever brought to trial on treason. Since secession was their right and denied them by military force it, would not have fared well for the heroes of the Republic to bring to light their own crimes by seeking to prosecute the innocent.
We are a nation founded by secession. We seceded from England. Just read the Declaration of Independence and you will see that the founding fathers were not advocating an “indivisible” union. The first sentence reads:
“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station. To which the laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the cause which impel them to the Separation.”
Where in this do you see precedence for an everlasting Union? They saw the Political Bands between England and themselves as a contract that could be broken. So how could we think the bands between the North and South should be any different just because a new continent is involved. We live in a nation of broken contracts. There are lawyers who specialize in contract law and with all the fine print and red tape, suits, etc. A contract can be broken. What is inviolate about a political contract? Nothing except that generations of Americans have been taught that it was so in order to cover the tyranny of the Lincoln Republicans.
The very next sentence sets up the everlasting status of the first. If you have unalienable rights and one of those is the ability to alter or abolish your government, where in the effort to do so can there be treason? It cannot be possible in principle. It can be possible in practice when dishonorable men who claim to uphold the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the precepts of our Founding Fathers deny them and suppress by force the free exercise of another’s unalienable rights. They can call it treason, but in reality, the men who suppress the right are the traitors and guilty of treason against the foundational principles of the land in which they govern. It is they who should be tried and convicted. Lincoln should have been impeached and the South allowed to go its way in peace. I submit that the leaders of the Confederacy are falsely charged with treason, as are their admirers. The South was and is slandered unjustly until this day.
The question of slavery is always a vibrant one when speaking of the South and the late unpleasantness. The accusation that the South had slaves is a fact. However, the South did not invent this practice. There have been slaves since the Ancient Near Eastern times. The history of the Hebrews has been one of slavery and freedom. There were slaves in the days of Rome. They were called serfs in Europe. The African slaves were brought from their African owners. No one is innocent in the issue of slavery. Even the Native Americans practiced it. Iroquois Indians of the New York region had African slaves. Free blacks practiced slavery. Most of the ships that brought them had Northern ports of call, hence the name Yankee Clippers. Yet, the Confederacy and the Southern people bear the burden and vilification as a slave owning, racist, hateful people. I do not condone slavery now nor do I justify it then. I do strongly resent it being a “Southern thing”.
Due to the slavery issue, all who fought for the Cause are made out to be evil, demonic, pre-evolutionary savages. When in reality, a very small portion of the Southern populace actually owned slaves. The Southern Baptists have recently apologized about the slave issue. Ironically, their only sin was their theological interpretation since most of the Southern Baptists at that time were far too poor to own anything so expensive as a slave. The expense itself would lend to the exaggeration of the abuse of slaves by their Southern owners. Frankly, they could not have afforded a slave for very long. Our society of the “bottom line” should understand that. I am not denying that there were abuses and even atrocities, but not to the extent that some would declare to be true. It would have been poor business and one cannot maintain an extravagant plantation by exercising poor business practices.
Northern Aggression and Southern Scars
For some the conflict of the 1860s is known as the War Between the States. This is not an accurate title since once the Southern states seceded they were another country and thus this was not a battle among states, but between two separate countries. It has been called the Civil War, but there was nothing civil about it. The War of Southern Independence or The War of Northern Aggression are more appropriate terms for this conflict. For indeed, the South was fighting to maintain its independence and the North was the aggressor.
It has been said that the South has never gotten over losing the war and hence the holding on to the various symbols and the battle cry of “The South shall rise again.” It is more probable that the North has never gotten over winning it or more likely, has never gotten over the guilt of it and hence the persistent vilification of the South until this day.
Recently, a black journalist out of Baltimore decried the defense of car tags issued to the Sons of the Confederate Veterans that bore their symbol, which includes a Confederate battle flag. He claims that they should be denied on a basis of patriotism because the flag represents a caste of traitors and a failed rebellion. This is an interesting concept considering that none of the leaders of the Confederacy were ever brought to trial on treason. Since secession was their right and denied them by military force it, would not have fared well for the heroes of the Republic to bring to light their own crimes by seeking to prosecute the innocent.
We are a nation founded by secession. We seceded from England. Just read the Declaration of Independence and you will see that the founding fathers were not advocating an “indivisible” union. The first sentence reads:
“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station. To which the laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the cause which impel them to the Separation.”
Where in this do you see precedence for an everlasting Union? They saw the Political Bands between England and themselves as a contract that could be broken. So how could we think the bands between the North and South should be any different just because a new continent is involved. We live in a nation of broken contracts. There are lawyers who specialize in contract law and with all the fine print and red tape, suits, etc. A contract can be broken. What is inviolate about a political contract? Nothing except that generations of Americans have been taught that it was so in order to cover the tyranny of the Lincoln Republicans.
The very next sentence sets up the everlasting status of the first. If you have unalienable rights and one of those is the ability to alter or abolish your government, where in the effort to do so can there be treason? It cannot be possible in principle. It can be possible in practice when dishonorable men who claim to uphold the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the precepts of our Founding Fathers deny them and suppress by force the free exercise of another’s unalienable rights. They can call it treason, but in reality, the men who suppress the right are the traitors and guilty of treason against the foundational principles of the land in which they govern. It is they who should be tried and convicted. Lincoln should have been impeached and the South allowed to go its way in peace. I submit that the leaders of the Confederacy are falsely charged with treason, as are their admirers. The South was and is slandered unjustly until this day.
The question of slavery is always a vibrant one when speaking of the South and the late unpleasantness. The accusation that the South had slaves is a fact. However, the South did not invent this practice. There have been slaves since the Ancient Near Eastern times. The history of the Hebrews has been one of slavery and freedom. There were slaves in the days of Rome. They were called serfs in Europe. The African slaves were brought from their African owners. No one is innocent in the issue of slavery. Even the Native Americans practiced it. Iroquois Indians of the New York region had African slaves. Free blacks practiced slavery. Most of the ships that brought them had Northern ports of call, hence the name Yankee Clippers. Yet, the Confederacy and the Southern people bear the burden and vilification as a slave owning, racist, hateful people. I do not condone slavery now nor do I justify it then. I do strongly resent it being a “Southern thing”.
Due to the slavery issue, all who fought for the Cause are made out to be evil, demonic, pre-evolutionary savages. When in reality, a very small portion of the Southern populace actually owned slaves. The Southern Baptists have recently apologized about the slave issue. Ironically, their only sin was their theological interpretation since most of the Southern Baptists at that time were far too poor to own anything so expensive as a slave. The expense itself would lend to the exaggeration of the abuse of slaves by their Southern owners. Frankly, they could not have afforded a slave for very long. Our society of the “bottom line” should understand that. I am not denying that there were abuses and even atrocities, but not to the extent that some would declare to be true. It would have been poor business and one cannot maintain an extravagant plantation by exercising poor business practices.