How the Old South vs North Conflict Is Related To The Political Conflict and Division In America

[SarahM32]

Last edited Wed Sep 12, 2012, 06:58 PM - Edit history (1)

At http://messenger3.cjcmp.org/southvsnorth.html there is an article by that title, the introduction of which is as follows:

Just as The Second World War is generally considered a "just war" despite the fact that the U.S. resorted to some questionable and even regrettable tactics to win it, the same thing can be said of the American Civil War (1891-1865). And since that war still has a lingering aftermath, Americans should learn more about it.

The American Civil War was more than a century in the making, and its repercussions have been felt ever since — not simply for the following century and particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. They were felt in the 1970s when there was still terribly violent suppression of people seeking equal rights and Civil Rights for African Americans. And its repercussions are felt even today, even though most Americans would rather ignore them.

For example, in recent times right-wing “Tea Party” Republicans in a Southern state displayed the confederate flag proudly and prominently in a parade, and there have been a number of other incidences involving that symbol of racism. However, while such incidences do make the news now because the confederate flag is a controversial symbol, not many Americans are concerned. In fact, most Americans are not aware of the implications of such actions, and there are obviously some Americans in the South who would like to forget certain things about the past.

You see, there are some Americans who have been trying very hard to mislead people about the real cause of the Civil War, trying to convince everyone that it was merely about “states rights” and a "righteous" fight against a domineering federal government. They ignore the wise words of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr, and prefer to filter and whitewash their view of history.

The "Southern Pride" movement really began in 1973 when the Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, wrote and sang the song, Sweet Home Alabama, which reflected the arrogant defiance of some Southerners who resented criticism regarding their racism and were proud of the Confederate Flag and what it stands for.

That's relevant because in recent years that movement has grown and taken on the guise of religiosity and patriotism, as it did in the 1860s, and its leaders have been trying to mislead people about The Intent of the Founding Fathers Regarding Religion and Jeffersonian Democracy. In fact, Southern evangelists on the "religious right" like David Barton have even created a revisionist history of the past to justify themselves.

Therefore, learning historic facts and the real lessons of history is more important now than it ever has been.

The article discusses American history since the original Jamestown British Colony, covers why the U.S. Constitution was made necessary (and how Southerners fought to get the "fugitive slave clause" included in it), and generally lays out a good case for how and why Partisan Politics is as it is in America today --- basically between right-wing hypocrites who claim to be religious and patriotic, as opposed to liberals and progressives who want reform and improvement in the lives of all the people.
.

[Hoyt]

1. The only thing "state rights" in the South has ever meant is "state rights to discriminate."

Anyone who says the Civil War wasn't about slavery -- and there are plenty who believe that -- just needs to read the various state articles of secession. Confederate flags are a symbol of hatred just like a swastika. White guys who think they've been discriminated against are full of dung. The TParty is as bigoted as the Klan, and most Republicans are Tbaggers at heart. The NRA and most republicans support more guns in more places, stand your ground laws, etc., for obvious reasons.

I agree with the article above, but don't see why it is necessary to point any of this out -- but it is.

Well, I guess I do. When I was young, it was not uncommon for candidates to broadcast ads standing in front of a confederate flag, talking crap about minorities while proclaiming they weren't racists. Heck, I got into it on another forum with an honest to god KKK grand asshole who had the gall to call himself a "civil rights activist."

Maybe it's the humidity here.

[SarahM32]

2. A bit rougher, but yeah, that's pretty much it.

I wouldn't say the confederate flag is a "symbol of hatred," as you do.

But I agree with the author of the article that it is a symbol of racism, white supremacy, and rebellion against a central government that is supposed to uphold the whole union and not condone wrongdoing in any of the states.