Tomorrow, Tuesday, marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Sadly, even today most citizens haven’t a clue of what it was about. This makes sense in a way, given that a consciously-abetted forgetfulness set in after the war, and the historical issues were either distorted, covered up or omitted. In the former Confederacy, especially, “the War Against Northern Aggression” replaced abolition of slavery as the central purpose. This has since been touted by latter day pro-Rebel groups like the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Even today most Southerners insist the conflict was fought over their right to secede, not about their ancestors owning slaves. They forget or aren’t aware that by 1861 slaves represented a $3.7 billion “asset” – the largest for the southern states, and cotton was the largest export. That indicator, as well as the initial pre-War skirmishes in Kansas (following passage of the Kansas –Nebraska Act which gave settlers free land, and which Confederates hoped to use slaves for growing export crops) has shown these latter day groups are wrong. Indeed, the original slaughter of “abolitionists” in Lawrence, Kansas is regarded by most historians as the putative first marker which ultimately led to the shots at Ft. Sumter, South Carolina on April 12, 1861.
Thus, the consensus of academic historians is unimpeachable: the Civil War, which cost 600,000 lives (including many brothers fighting against each other) was indeed about abolishing slavery once and for all. As it was, the U.S. was one of the last more advanced nations to have retained it that long. Even the more backward Russia freed all its serfs by 1861. The British colonies saw most of their slaves liberated by 1834. Barbados, a former British colony, saw freed slaves competing in their own independent enterprises with white plantation offspring by the time the U.S. Civil War started.
At another level, however, the Southerners are closer to the truth in their perceptions, if not historical fact. That is, that the War engaged those in favor of a strong, centralized government and on the other side, those who wanted no part of it. Even from that time, the Southerners wanted no part of “big gubmint”. When Stonewall Jackson begged Southerners to give him the same powers as Lincoln, including habeas corpus, he was roundly rebuked from Texas to Virginia. One Georgia Senator famously fumed: “Ah will never ever submit to no big government, and that means ah shall always be a rebel even in the Confederacy.”
Of course, the lack of equally centralized powers (applied to one leader) meant the South couldn’t compete with the North in terms of mustering common resources, and coordinating them. They put themselves at a tremendous disadvantage by their own hatred of the nature of government as a unifying force. To them, “States’ rights” trumped all else, including a single united alter-nation, and they paid the price for that bias.
We detect the same elements today, as the Civil War seems to be gearing up to be fought all over again, but this time exactly over the issue of “Big Government” and whether it is a good thing or not. Those against are largely Republicans who remain a powerful party mainly in the South, or Old Confederacy. Indeed, a number of conservatives in Virginia argue that they see the current battles against Obama’s health care reform legislation as well as EPA climate change regulations as “continuations of the efforts of Jefferson Davis and other secessionists in the 1860s.” This isn’t just jabber as we’ve already beheld certain governors like Rick Parry of Texas, trying to proffer secessionist laws! Thus, there really is an entrenched anti-Big Government sentiment alive and well.
But is it confined to the South? Not really! It is more now a case of mental status than geography. One can even find “pro-Confederates” expressing the same mindset, in the North. Look at Scott Walker of Wisconsin. He surely qualifies as a new form of plantation slave master as he attempted to destroy public unions and render their workers slaves without rights to corporations, like the already enslaved union-less private workers.
Indeed, author Joshua Zeitz in his (American Heritage Magazine, Sept. 2002) article ‘Dixie’s Victory’, observes that although Confederates only got as far north as Pennsylvania, their “great-grandchildren have captured America’s culture”. Zeitz then went on to clarify, pointing to NASCAR (a deep South hick sport if ever there was one) as well as “Country and Western music” (mostly pure heehaw garbage, though there are a few exceptions – like Johnny Cash whose songs crossed into Rock) and bible –punching fundie religion. In Zeitz's own words:
“In the mid-twentieth century the arrival of Southern rural traditions in the urban marketplace created a new breed of Southland culture that exploded onto the national scene. At the same time, the millions of white Southerners planting new roots in the North introduced the rest of the country to their conservative religious and political culture and to once-regional pastimes like stock car racing and country music. The consequences have been revolutionary.”
Indeed, and many of us (diehard Yankees and proud of it) have regretted this incursion ever since as we see fellow citizens fall under the spell of Southern garbage culture and values, including their bigoted bible-based religion and conservative politics! Think I’m joking? Even one member of the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans have insisted that the Johnny Rebs “were fighting for the same things that people in the Tea Party are fighting for now”. In other words, he’s saying the Teepees are latter day Johnny Rebs, and I totally agree- right down to their racism
But is the battle really between pro –Big Government latter day Yankees, and Anti-Government “Confederates of the Mind”? That is too simplistic by far, since the Confederate –minded Teepees and other anti-government types (e.g. Birthers) have no problems with supporting large military-defense establishments, and armies. Otherwise, they’d allow deep cuts in defense budgets! (Last year, according to a Stockholm group that tracks global arms purchases, the U.S. led the pack with $698 BILLION worth! China was a distant 2nd at $113 billion!) The fact they don’t support defense cuts, shows they DO support “big government” but only if it is military based!
Thus, the division is really in terms of WHAT government is used for! The Southern-minded (as I call them) today want it used only for certain limited purposes, though these purposes take up much of the budget! Thus, true to old Southern sentiments these are pro-military and anti-tax, and anti-domestic support (every man for himself, stand on your own two feet) and also have no qualms about inserting religion into government, or public institutions.
Those like me, with the original Union in our DNA, stand for government as a positive purposive force countervailing those that would render us slaves again such as to the multi-national corporations. We demand the government resources be cut for supporting tax breaks to the rich and corporations, as well as the defense industry, and used instead for domestic priorities such as infrastructure repair, and maintenance of social insurance programs. We also disdain intrusive religion in the public square, and have no more use for Southern pastimes like C&W “music”, NASCAR, bible-pounding based preaching or gun shows, than we do for Minstrel shows. Also, our politics are decided liberal, not Southern conservative.
We also respect the first African-American President and don’t denigrate him with bilious offal like the Confederate riff raff did with Dred Scott, who attempted to bring a lawsuit to declare freedom from his masters. He failed, and a Southern-compromised Supreme Court declared he was property under the Constitution and not a true citizen. So also the latter day traitors seek to deny President Obama the legitimacy of his office, as well his citizenship, as they raise spurious issues concerning his birth certificate and also attempt to unravel again our national fabric over “necessary budget cuts”. Though they won't lift a finger to cut taxes for slave-holder corporations and their CEOs or the rich, or the military-industrial complex. Let them all be damned!
Is the Civil War set to be fought again? Well, hopefully not with bullets and bloodshed, but rather with powerful arguments, as the nature of government opens for debate with the issue of raising the debt ceiling. ON one side will be the Confederate-minded Tea Party, Birthers and Republicans – Conservatives who want government supports, funding pulled back and people to make it on their own. They insist on no tax increases and no major cuts in defense. On the other side are those like me who demand government do more than manufacture bombs and arms, foment wars of choice and give tax breaks to the richest who would ultimately re-enslave all of us as corporate serfs. We demand a positive role for government which includes support of social safety nets. As to the repeal of habeas corpus under the Military Commissions (2006) Act, we can apply that to any stupid latter-day Confederates that really try to secede!
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