The first shots of the Civil War were against Ft. Sumpter 149 years ago today. We are approaching the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which will involve a “celebration” of the event and “education” on its history. In the past, southern apologists used these events as occasions to create a revisionist history attempting to obscure basic facts, such as that the war was started by the south to preserve slavery.
We should stick to the truth about the Confederacy and the war.
The Civil War was an immense tragedy which yielded the immense good of abolition of slavery. There is no basis for honoring the Confederacy or its leaders, but all of us, from the entire country, can join to honor all of the brave soldiers and populations, both north and south, who suffered to bring the nation through the trauma of the war into a better life.
We are approaching the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which will involve a “celebration” of the event and “education” on its history. In the past, southern apologists used these events as occasions to try to re-write history and to obscure two obvious points:
1) The Civil War was started by the south when it seceded from the Union and fired on Fort Sumpter 149 years ago today;
2) Slavery, and the south’s desire to protect and expand slavery, was the cause of the war.
Virginia Gov. McDonnell started his "revision of history" when he “overlooked” any mention of of slavery in his initial proclamation; after much criticism he apologized and added the following new clause to his proclamation:
“WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders, and the study of this time period should reflect upon and learn from this painful part of our history.”
The Governor's statement that "the institution of slavery" led to the war is true as far as it goes, but it ignores the crucial role of southern politicians who chose to lead a rebellion instead of accepting the results of an election they had lost. The facts are quite clear:
At the time of the Revolution, slavery was allowed in all colonies, although widely practiced only in the south. Its evils were widely recognized. Jefferson mentioned them in the original draft of the Declaration of Independence, and wrote, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, written during the Revolution:
"The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other. Our children see this, and learn to imitate it. . . ."
"Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free.”
The northern states, acting on a state-by-state basis, abolished slavery in their states soon after independence. The Northwest Ordinance (drafted by Jefferson) enacted by the Congress under the Articles of Confederation in 1784, governed the territory which later became Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. It prohibited slavery in that territory or in any states created in the territory. These states became Free States, while newly created southern states became Slave States.
Conflict over slavery increased between 1800 and 1860, but the south had more than sufficient political power to protect its “peculiar” institution; repeated compromises drew lines between free and slave states. However, in 1857, the Supreme Court, in the Dred Scott case, held those compromises unconstitutional, that slavery could not be banned in the territories and that slaveowners could take slaves into any state or territory without losing their "property;" in effect, it made slavery the national law of the land.
The Dred Scott decision galvanized anti-slavery opinion in the north with the result that Lincoln, known for his opposition to slavery, was elected president in the 1860 election. For the first time, the south had lost a critical election.
In a democratic system, the losers in an election are obligated to yield office and surrender power to the winners. The bloody revolutions to which Jefferson referred in his famous statement about watering the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots have been replaced by peaceful elections. This is the fundamental genius of American representative democracy.
Southern leaders refused to accept the results of the election they had lost. Even before Lincoln took office, seven southern states had seceded, seized Federal forts and armories and attempted to seize others, sometimes with the help of Federal officials planning to join the secession. The first shots were fired by the south at Ft. Sumpter 149 years ago this week.
A few simple facts stand out:
The fundamental dispute was over slavery;
The south started the war;
The south rebelled rather than surrender power after it lost the 1860 election.
Southern efforts to obscure these simple facts should be rejected as inaccurate, revisionist history.
There are other myths to be dispelled:
The South was fighting for States Rights: The south was against, not for, states rights. Immediately before the war, the south was attempting to use Federal power to force slavery on the northern states in violation of the long-standing rights of each state to declare itself a free state. In part, the war resulted from the southern effort to override northern states rights to be free states.
Lincoln and the north violated southern rights: Lincoln had not even taken office when most of the southern states seceded.
States like Virginia should honor their great Confederate leadership and brave soldiers.
Everyone is entitled to honor their ancestors. I am a Texan and a descendent of soldiers who fought for the Confederacy, as well as in the American Revolution, Texas Revolution and two World Wars. I am also proud to be a 21st century American living in a country in which racial discrimination is unacceptable. I am proud of all of my forbearers and their service.
Like many southerners, I chose a view of history which allows me to honor my ancestors without honoring the Confederate cause for which some fought.
There is no reason for any state or region of our country -- as a state or region -- to honor the Confederacy or its leaders as such.
The Civil War was an immense tragedy. Hundreds of thousands, from both north and south, were killed; hundreds of thousands more were grievously wounded; millions of families were devastated, cities and towns in both north and south were laid waste, and the entire economy and social structure of the south was destroyed.
All of this was caused by the decision of southern political leadership to enter into rebellion and start the war. Almost all of the leaders involved had served the American government previously and had sworn oaths to “preserve, protect and defend” the national government in which they served. They broke their oaths and engaged in war against their country.
Great leaders make good decisions in difficult circumstances; they lead their nations through hard and bitter times to victory. We admire Churchill as a great leader for his refusal to yield and his achievement of ultimate victory. Chamberlain made the wrong decision at Munich; we may respect him, but he was not a great leader.
Jefferson Davis and the Confederate leadership did not make good decisions. They seceded and rebelled rather than yield power peacefully as the election result required; that was the wrong decision. They chose to initiate rebellion and war to preserve the moral catastrophe of slavery; that was the wrong decision. They led their followers into bitter and devastating defeat. Their leadership was wrong in its objective -- preservation of slavery, wrong in its method -- rebellion and treason, and was a failure. This was not great leadership. They may have had fine personal qualities, but this was not great leadership.
But the war brought an immense benefit to the nation -- the abolition of slavery and citizenship for all former slaves. It began the process of ending racial and ethnic discrimination. That process is not over; the events of the last months demonstrate that much more progress is needed.
We should remember the War and celebrate the advance that resulted from it. As part of that process, we should learn, understand and honor the tremendous sacrifices made on both sides.
The Civil War was exceptionally long and hard-fought compared to the wars of the time. (For an excellent new overview of the military aspects of the war which makes this point, see “The American Civil War, A Military History,” by noted military historian John Keegan.) Both north and south produced millions of brave soldiers, many of whom gave their lives, in what -- for the soldiers on both sides -- was a patriotic cause. Armies on both sides fought with extraordinary determination in fierce battles; losses on both sides were remarkably high in battle after battle; there were a remarkable number of battles, averaging seven per day for the four years of the war by Keegan’s estimate, about 1500 battles. Other authorities, considering all fights large and small, estimate as many as 10,000 battles.
The sacrifices of all on both sides were necessary to allow the country to move forward while leaving slavery behind. All, on both sides, are now long dead. Very few Americans alive today could trace their heritage solely to one side of the conflict or the other. We should accept all on both sides as part of our common ancestry and common heritage.
As citizens of a unified country, we Americans today, and our public officials should seek unity and mutual understanding. We should all honor the men and women of both sides, all now long-dead, for all their sacrifices.