Black Lives Matter, too!

      Southern perpetrators of "the lost cause" theory of the American Civil War would have us believe that the war, also called The War Between The States, was not fought over the issue of slavery. Alexander Stephens, Governor of Georgia said this as States were seceding from the Union. 

"May we not, therefore, look with confidence to the ultimate universal acknowledgment of the truths upon which our system (Confederate) rests? It is the first government ever instituted upon the principles in strict conform ty to nature, and the ordination of Providence, in furnishing the materials of human society. Many governments have been founded upon the principle of the subordination and serfdom of certain classes of the same race; such were and are in violation of the laws of nature. Our system commits no such violation of nature's laws. With us, all of the white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the negro. Subordination is his place. He, by nature, or by the curse against Canaan, is fitted for that condition which he occupies in our system(slavery). The architect, in the construction of buildings, lays the foundation with the proper material-the granite; then comes the brick or the marble. The substratum of our society is made of the material fitted by nature for it, and by experience we know that it is best, not only for the superior, but for the inferior race, that it should be so. It is, indeed, in conformity with the ordinance of the Creator. It is not for us to inquire into the wisdom of His ordinances, or to question them. For His own purposes, He has made one race to differ from another, as He has made "one star to differ from another star in glory." The great objects of humanity are best attained when there is conformity to His laws and decrees, in the formation of governments as well as in all things else." 

     In his book The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln and the struggle for American Freedom, H. W. Brands, clearly articulates that slavery was the cause of the war. The book is a biography of John Brown and could be called an annotated biography of Lincoln. Brands focuses on Lincoln as emancipator but does not cover all other aspects of his life. Lincoln clearly was anti-slavery but some of his attitudes toward blacks are hard to read. 

      The book is a good addition to the topic of race relations today, showing the roots and causes of much of our current distress. 

     Non-sequitur:  Today I received my second COVID vaccination! 😁  I'm filled with gratitude to all who made it possible. This year of self-isolation has passed rather quickly and I feel very blessed. Among all I've probably suffered least and I am thankful.

Takk for alt,

Al

            I have much in common with Earl!