Quote:
Originally Posted by Neal Stevens
Slave owners: they may have kept their slaves alive and healthy physically, but they were destroying their souls and hearts.
One thing I have always wondered, why is/was the proposal to return the slaves to their native lands considered racist or wrong? One could hardly argue it was beneficial to them that they were taken from their land. And they never had a chance to build their own society in the Americas.
From everything I've read, and from what I know, racism was universal until the middle 20th century. White people in Lincoln's time may have abhorred slavery, and pitied the slaves, but very few accepted the slave as their equal. The common saying in the North during the Civil War was "The Constitution as it is; the Union as it was; the Negroes where they are." (Democratic Party slogan as well, if I am not mistaken). The North wanted slavery abolished but certainly did not want the slave population to move north.
As for creating heroes out of Lincoln, Grant, etc. If you are happy the US survived the civil war and slavery issue intact (as I am), then Lincoln certainly is a hero. In the book I am reading now, Lincoln was extraordinary for his calm and foresight. More than a few of the Presidents before and after Lincoln, I don't think they would have handled the split and war nearly as well. Lincoln was a hero and pretty much the savior of the country.
So... you're saying the war was about slavery  |
A very interesting article here, on how Lee viewed reconstruction and his views on what he thought should be done with the newly freed slaves. He believed Virginia would be better off if the former slaves would relocate somewhere else!
I've always enjoyed reading about Lee's military record, but this is the first time I've read about his views concerning slaves. The article has several references to letters he wrote explaining his thoughts on the subject.
http://radgeek.com/gt/2006/05/28/over_my/