The reason most folks don't understand is because the victors generally get to revise history.... and the books you've read in school bear little resemblance to the rationale for secession and war.

Oh, did I mention the killing and raping of civilians? Or the looting? The burning of crops or the killing of livestock? The goal of the Union was to completely destroy the Southern economy.

Don't get me started - and never make light of Civil War history around a true Southerner who's holding a weapon. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

Frank

this is just academic to me, you know that I'm not really making judgements about the South. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

But lets straiten something out here. 1) I'm conservative as I hope you know. So if you think I'm a fan of Boston Politics..well that would be laughable. and 2) I think people should move on and stop expecting decendants to pay for historical mistakes they had nothing to do with.

My Grand Parents came to this Country in the early part of the 20th century. I feel no remorse, nor can I be expected to over something that even my ancesters had nothing to do with.

This goes for Slavery, as well as what happened to the Slave Owners. So I'd say the same thing to ancesters of Slaves that I would to ancesters of their owners.

Raping and Killing, and Livestock destruction? Yeah, we all know that happened. I saw the Civil War Documentary on PBS. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> But war is hell. And the folks back then had little resemblence to the people I see everyday. Throughout History just about every culture has its sorted past. I don't hold you responsible for the prosperity of the Southern Plantations due to African Slaves, anymore than you should still hold a grudge against Northeners for what ignorant, peasant solders did to farms, livestock, and women 150 years ago.

If I had a different attidude about this I would be sending threating letters to Moscow complaining about how my "Countrymen" in Poland were tortured and slautered by the hundreds of thousands under the early Communist Regime.

Why not move on? Is it worth living with a sour grape taste in your mouth about something that has been done and over with for so long? Where will it get you? What do you expect Northeners to say, "....Sorry about burning your farms and raping your women...?"

I don't have any personal stake or any personal opinion. I am a yankee who practically grew up in the south so I won't get into the middle of the debate. I hold no feelings one way or the other.

But the burning of farms, estates, and so forth wasn't just troops running amok, it was a decision that came from high rank.

The balance of your post suggests otherwise. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> If you really want to get academic, try reading some of the history from a Southern point of view.... it might give you a better answer to your question than I can do. I would suggest that your reading material include the following:

The 1859 Homestead Land-Grant Bill
The 10th Amendment to the U.S Constitution (States Rights)
Protective tariffs resulting in money collected from the South and spent on Northern projects
The Missouri Compromise
Dred Scott case
The Right to secede
The Hartford Convention

Some minimal info on those and more is here

Here's some more

There's plenty out there if you're interested.




Your continued reference to slavery shows your acceptance of history as it's now written (or at least taught) - which cleverly fails to recognize the fairly large number of slaves employed in domestic circumstances in Philadelphia, Boston, New York and other northern cities at the time of the war - and the fact that slaves were sold to Southern plantation owners by Northern flesh peddlers. Slavery was certainly an issue, but not THE issue for Secession.



Because until history is corrected (which is unlikely) or until there is recognition of secession rationale, there will always be resentment. It will diminish over time (as it has), but there will always be those who try to present the record as it was - not how it's now written. It's not a burning everday thing for Southerners - most rarely even comment anymore - but when folks make callous, uneducated comments, some Southerners will continue to bristle and make an attempt to correct the record imo, as they should. You see, in the Civil War, all dignity was removed from the South and the only thing remaining was pride... and pride still burns brightly through the bitter taste of the aftermath. Moveon.org would not play well in this part of the world.



As a normal thing, I have no such taste - and among Southerners would be considered far less caring than many about the Civil War - but what I do have is a responsibility to those who came before me to honor not only their sacrifice, but their ideals and the reason for their suffering - and I won't allow someone to flippantly say that Southerners were just p*ssed because they lost their slaves and had to get off their asses and go to work..... at least not without comment. Those who owned plantations worked as hard as anyone who had the responsibility of running a large company with many employees - no matter how they are portrayed on the silver screen.

Frank <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

How on Earth can you make a statement like that? I'm sure you wouldn't suggest that the Nazis "worked as hard as anyone who had the responsibility of running a large company with many employees" only substituting Blacks for Jews?

alright. no sense in continuing my comments about it. I still have a lot to say, of course; I actually am going to force myself to stop...because I think this might turn ugly..er.

Yes, I would. You're confusing "work ethic" with "ethical behavior".



Good.

Frank <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Dang fellers.........I just meant for this to get a chuckle not to get the hair up on the back of your back side when i posted it to begin with.......now lets not get our panties in an up roar.....and now lets take a drink of some shine <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> and have a big <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> group hug.........lets not get ugly ..... and remember what grits really stands for .......

girls raised in the south........ <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Happy weekend everyone... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

I'll pass on the group hug...I saw Deliverance. (insert pig squeal/banjo music joke here) <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Tim, have a good night. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Wow when I left we were talking about scrapple. Y'all got a debate going. I live in the USA & love it!

Will search for the recipe - alot of her cookbooks went under water but I think the one she uses for scrapple was in the cabin (north of coast).