Symbols representing the Confederate States such as the Rebel flag are commonly referred to as symbols of racism, but in reality the American Civil War was to be expected long before the subject of freeing the slaves was a serious issue. Today we have children removed from their schools for sporting a piece of American history on a binder or T-shirt, which tends to reinforce the belief that all of those civil war deaths took place simply because of a need to free the slaves. The people of our great Nation have often been challenged to find the truth and have dedicated themselves to fighting for truth and justice. As a society, why do we now allow and accept a partial truth as such an incredible influence on our way of thinking? What are we teaching our children about our true American history? If we cannot remember where we have been, we risk the fate of repeating a tragic time in history. Ask three historians what truly caused the American Civil war and you are likely to get three different answers. This is not because no one really knows; it is because there were many factors that influenced the decision made by individual states to secede from the Union. You may even find that not all of the states chose to secede for the same reasons. On a smaller scale, try to picture a father demanding his son to follow exactly in his footsteps, when the son has totally different beliefs and interests. The son will eventually rebel against the father and the remaining family members get caught in the middle, often being forced to take sides, pitting one against the other. The southern states which were made up of plantations and farms were basically being controlled by the industrial states, with neither having the patience to try to understand the other. There were two different groups of people with two entirely different ways of life, inevitably leading to political and economical differences that were difficult to bridge. To complicate things, the two groups needed each other. The North needed the agricultural products produced in the South, and the South needed what the industrial states could offer, in addition to needing a place to sell what they produced. The industrial North placed demands on the South as the North grew and developed, that the South did not agree with. Social structures and basic beliefs were different, as were the needs of the two different types of producers, and as the industrial states progressed, the differences between the two groups grew. Even the invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 may have influenced the frustrations between the North and the South. It helped the South to become profitable in the cotton industry and settle into a way of life that required little change. In 1828 tariffs were put in place that would benefit only the industrial states. Confrontation was avoided in 1833 thanks to a compromise tariff act. Throughout this timeline the industrial states were growing and developing and the beliefs and social structure of the population were changing too, while the southern states had little change. It is interesting to note that the civil war was under way well before the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves was put into place but to be fair, there were signs leading up to this event that are clearly evident. The freeing of the slaves by President Lincoln was expected because of his belief that the Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free, and his election to the presidency on November 6, 1860 may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. In December of 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union, soon to be followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, all within a period of only a few months. President Lincoln was sworn in on March 4, 1861, and the following month the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston South Carolina, and the American Civil War begins. It wasnt until September of 1862 that a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves was made, with the final issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation taking place in January of n1863, 18 months after the start of the war. The Confederate states were first represented by a flag known as the Bonnie Blue, although liked by the people; it was never adopted as an official flag for the Confederacy. The first official flag was the Stars and Bars which closely resembled the Unions Stars and Stripes. The Stars and Bars flag flew from March of 1861 until May of 1863. Because of the similarities between the Union and Confederate flags it could be difficult to distinguish between the two flags in battle. The Confederacy decided to find a more unique design to be carried into battle, with the result being what we now refer to as the Rebel flag, also known as the Southern Cross. It is only the Battle flag that our society seems to have an issue with, and not any of the other flags that represented the Confederate states. It seems that we often forget that free blacks fought on both sides of this war. Choices were made by individuals from all races, and they stood up for what they believed in. It was not a war between the races; it was a war between brothers, fathers and sons, farmers and industrialists, and between friends. This was a war that tore apart families and nearly destroyed a young Nation that had big dreams, but when the healing finally began, the sacrifices made led to a stronger, more resilient Nation. We must not let ourselves forget the true reasons for the American Civil War, what it stood for, or how it affected the years that followed. We must always remember as a Nation, to remain strong through equal representation, tolerance, and understanding. There are many who see our great Nation once again reaching a dividing point, and again, not about racism, but it does involve immigration. It involves a division of beliefs and economic needs as the gap between the classes continues to grow. Big business is moving away from supporting the American people as the goal moves towards profits alone. Good paying American jobs are being moved to other countries. Small businesses are being over powered and bought out by those who fear competition on an equal level. Our government seems to be moving further and further away from understanding and supporting the common citizen as we arrest our own citizens for breaking laws while forgiving non-citizens who break the law by simply being on our soil. Yes, there is unrest and it is growing. The question is, what are we, as a Nation, going to do about it, and where will our decisions take us?
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 20:58:49 +0000
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