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TheOther95Percent

(1,035 posts)
55. About that "they didn't own slaves and still fought" argument.
Fri Jun 26, 2015, 01:50 AM
Jun 2015

I will posit these possible explanations for why non-slave holders fought for the Confederacy:

* Quite possibly heard or read the various Secession Acts specifying any or all of the following: separation from the Union is necessary to preserve and maintain the supremacy of the white guy over all others; the basic "some day I can get me some slaves and be rich like that guy over there"; and freed slaves are going to rape the women in my family. In other words, the non-slave holder was of the same political bent as the slave-owner. You can read the causi belli for various states here: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/what-this-cruel-war-was-over/396482/

* God. Yes, God. God condoned slavery. It's in the Bible! God didn't condone slavery.That's in the Bible too! You can't go against the Almighty, now can you? There were few religious minorities in the United States in the run up to the Civil War. Most Americans were of one protestant denomination or another. The three main protestant sects: Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist split in the 1840s over the issue of slavery. So, for example, the Northern Baptist preacher would rail against slavery and its negative effects on society while his Southern counterpart spoke just as determinedly about maintaining human bondage because it was a good thing for everybody. This link has more on the impact of religiosity, personal belief systems and the echo chamber here: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/why-non-slaveholding.html

* Conscripted and fought with the army.

* Joined a slave patrol and ended up in the army. In addition to the regular army units, local militias formed slave patrols. Now slave patrols had been a regular feature of Southern life for more than a hundred years. White Southerners feared slave rebellions and many more slave patrols were formed in the first year of the Civil War since - truth be told - a slave rebellion was feared more than the still far away Union army. As the war dragged on, slave patrols contributed more men to the war effort. Men with "20 negroes or more" were automatically exempted from military service. Rich man's war, poor man's fight.

Honorable Americans did fight on both sides. onehandle Jun 2015 #1
Sorry, no. Kelvin Mace Jun 2015 #2
That's true, but some were drafted Major Nikon Jun 2015 #41
Everyone has a moral obligation to NOT participate Kelvin Mace Jun 2015 #68
No, they didn't. FFS. What the hell is he talking about. onecaliberal Jun 2015 #3
Not sure if it was quite that black and white davidn3600 Jun 2015 #9
Wrong about Grant. He owned one slave whom he freed in 1859. Bonhomme Richard Jun 2015 #14
It's kind of ambiguous Art_from_Ark Jun 2015 #18
General Grant also tried to expel Jews from parts of rebel states under his command Art_from_Ark Jun 2015 #15
You might give more details to the story kwassa Jun 2015 #22
Maybe he had "tactical reasons", but his order was quickly revoked by Lincoln Art_from_Ark Jun 2015 #23
The South conscripted most white males between ages of 17-50 Nevernose Jun 2015 #71
Okay. Gotcha. onecaliberal Jun 2015 #72
Jim Webb is an honest man... jaysunb Jun 2015 #4
I agree. TwilightGardener Jun 2015 #5
Honest, maybe, but missing the current issue, SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #8
The current issue is just another diversion, imo. jaysunb Jun 2015 #29
Before *I* go there? SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #32
Not intended to be personal.... jaysunb Jun 2015 #47
Okey dokey. SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #49
Honest, and wrong. He is honestly wrong. kwassa Jun 2015 #19
Why do you say that ? jaysunb Jun 2015 #25
There was no honor in the Confederate cause. kwassa Jun 2015 #64
+ 1 DashOneBravo Jun 2015 #66
first he has to win the republican party nomination and he has lots of competetion for that nt msongs Jun 2015 #30
Now, now jaysunb Jun 2015 #48
Would he say the same thing about Nazi soldiers? knowledgeispwr Jun 2015 #6
That's the lesson my WW II veteran father taught me. TexasProgresive Jun 2015 #24
'My friends and I had been playing war' HFRN Jun 2015 #31
The German conscripts fought just like our soldiers..as fodder. Here is the part of the WWII kelliekat44 Jun 2015 #38
There were also a lot of rotten people who fought on both sides Charlie Brown Jun 2015 #7
Yep. See General Smedley Butler. nt SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #40
I agree Art_from_Ark Jun 2015 #53
This message was self-deleted by its author iandhr Jun 2015 #10
"Traitor" can be a relative term davidn3600 Jun 2015 #13
Relatively speaking, they didn't and it isn't. nt SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #35
bullshit Leontius Jun 2015 #16
I think you mean to say traitor. Traders to this nation makes me think of benign peddlers. TheOther95Percent Jun 2015 #45
Good for Webb AwareOne Jun 2015 #11
Nice attempt at an off-topic diversion. kwassa Jun 2015 #20
We really don't have a good idea on how to stop the mass shootings goldent Jun 2015 #51
Oh it has gone from sublime to the ridiculous. TM99 Jun 2015 #56
Those fighting for the south lost their citizenship.... Historic NY Jun 2015 #12
When wars are declared how many soldiers stop and think about whether they're on the right side? Gidney N Cloyd Jun 2015 #17
If I had any inkling of even considering Webb, it's gone now. NuclearDem Jun 2015 #21
West Point cadets from Southern states weren't drummed out of formation. Octafish Jun 2015 #26
I think that's how he meant it. SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #37
Gallantry in his mind... Octafish Jun 2015 #42
Thank you for the kind remarks, Octafish. SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #43
Red Planet at 10...Starship Troopers at 11...Stranger at 12...Jonathan Hoag at 13... Octafish Jun 2015 #62
Thank you, Octafish. SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #70
May I offer a small, but significant to me, correction? SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #73
He was DashOneBravo Jun 2015 #60
There were losers, and there were winners. Stop backing the losers, Jimbo. MADem Jun 2015 #27
Good to see that Webb has wrapped up SwankyXomb Jun 2015 #28
Ugh. Yes, those noble Confederates, fighting to keep slavery. Ahh, the glory... Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #33
in any war, in any point in history, on any side, the soldier HFRN Jun 2015 #34
Ain't that the simple truth. nt SusanCalvin Jun 2015 #39
Good post, and welcome to DU HFRN.... n/t Ghost in the Machine Jun 2015 #44
This Vietnam veteran applauds your post. n/t jaysunb Jun 2015 #46
You are correct. goldent Jun 2015 #52
Well said. TM99 Jun 2015 #57
“I and my fellow combat veterans stand on one side of a great impassable divide," mia Jun 2015 #69
This is the first thing I've seen about Webb since learning he may run Politicub Jun 2015 #36
Agree. hay rick Jun 2015 #50
Honorable americans may have fought but dishonerable american legislators, governors and politicians CBGLuthier Jun 2015 #54
About that "they didn't own slaves and still fought" argument. TheOther95Percent Jun 2015 #55
Fuck Webb and his neo-confederate fanboys mwrguy Jun 2015 #58
Oh look DashOneBravo Jun 2015 #59
Like This One ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (eom) ProfessorGAC Jun 2015 #63
Whick part of the my post are you taking about? DashOneBravo Jun 2015 #65
... tenderfoot Jun 2015 #67
On The Chris Rock Show in the late 90s he went down to SC to interview people JonLP24 Jun 2015 #61
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