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Taking a Stand: Portraits from the Southern Secession Movement
Recounts personal stories of how five Southerners came to their own individual decisions to abandon the Union during the Civil War era. Each story represents a current in the movement that culminated in secession. Their opinions may seem foreign to Americans raised on the permitted conventions of popular history. Those who view the struggle over slavery as a morality play, as well as those who minimize slavery's importance, will both be challenged. Includes b&w portraits. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
141 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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March 22, 2021
When the subject of the cause of the Civil War is discussed people tend to fall into one of two camps - Slavery or States Rights. The truth (as revealed in this slim volume) is a good deal more nuanced- it was not either/or - it was both/and. The strain on the Union was present even as the Constitution was being hammered out.
In 1794 New York’s Senator Rufus King took aside Virginia’s Senator John Taylor in Philadelphia and insisted that the Union must be dissolved. He claimed that the economies of North and South were incompatible, making a political separation inevitable. Only a peaceful dissolution, he claimed, could avert a violent break-up.
In that he was very prescient. As the decades rolled by and abolition grew strong in the North, the question of the Western territories became a major stumbling block to both sides. With the ascendancy of the hardline Republican administration of Lincoln and their control of House, Senate and White House they were spoiling for a war and essentially goaded the Secessionist States into firing the first shot.
In these five cameos, the author meticulously researched and footnoted the events that culminated in the greatest tragedy ever to take place on American soil.
There is much that can be learned today about the overreach of the Federal government and the abuse of the Federal Judiciary, particularly when one party has the ability to drive their own agenda and alienate half of the nation. Based on the outcome of history they are treading on very dangerous ground.
In 1794 New York’s Senator Rufus King took aside Virginia’s Senator John Taylor in Philadelphia and insisted that the Union must be dissolved. He claimed that the economies of North and South were incompatible, making a political separation inevitable. Only a peaceful dissolution, he claimed, could avert a violent break-up.
In that he was very prescient. As the decades rolled by and abolition grew strong in the North, the question of the Western territories became a major stumbling block to both sides. With the ascendancy of the hardline Republican administration of Lincoln and their control of House, Senate and White House they were spoiling for a war and essentially goaded the Secessionist States into firing the first shot.
In these five cameos, the author meticulously researched and footnoted the events that culminated in the greatest tragedy ever to take place on American soil.
There is much that can be learned today about the overreach of the Federal government and the abuse of the Federal Judiciary, particularly when one party has the ability to drive their own agenda and alienate half of the nation. Based on the outcome of history they are treading on very dangerous ground.
Displaying 1 of 1 review