Douglas/Ungaro wrote: > > Someone contributed: > I am not real well versed on all of the factors leading up to the [Civil] > War [between the States] but I > do know that it was not just exclusively about slavery. > >> > > This may be true, that there were issues - money, division of power, > commerce, and politics between the wealthy of the North and the wealthy of > the South (frankly) - other than the chattel enslavement of American-born > persons, but in my book enslavement stands as the single most important one. > > Someone should dig out the Congressional Record (the official record of > the proceedings of Congress, published every day) of the period and just > review the angry debates over African Americans and their status as chattel, > to remember this. Those congressional proceedings - the shouting matches, > etc. - would be the basis for an excellent television documentary today, > because we -- have -- forgotten. We're always talking about, reminiscing > about the Civil War and the Old South, and re-enacting Civil War battles > (when we're not watching "Gone With the Wind" on the late show or on video), > but we tend to forget the underlying moral, spiritual, and human rights (as > we call it these days) issue - Black slavery - that fueled the political > split. > > I would also recommend the excellent autobiography, "Incidents in the > Life of A Slave Girl - Written By Herself", by Linda Brent (I think she also > had another name). > > And (North Carolinian) Dr. Melton McLaurin's "Celia, A Slave", well > written, short, in plain English, and not boring. He researched the court > records of the arrest and trial of Celia (bought at age 14 or 15, executed > at age 18 or 19), for the murder of her "owner" in Missouri, circa 1855-56. > > This and other cold facts of the "lives" of American-born persons > existing under CHATTEL slavery (as opposed to other historical practices of > human slavery) - that is what that war was about. Buying and selling > people and everything else imaginable and unimaginable associated with this. > > In Linda Brent's book, I will never forget her description of the dread > that Black mothers had on New Year's Eve, instead of celebration, because > New Year's Day was "selling day" in the South. And people lost their > families, their children, their babies, their parents, their life partners. > Brent writes about a woman who had, I believe, six children. The woman > sadly expected that some of her children would be taken from her and sold. > All of them were sold, in different, untraceable, directions. Brent > describes seeing that woman on the street later -- out of her mind and > mumbling to herself about how her children were "gone, all gone". > > Thanks, Marian > > ==== Southern-Trails Mailing List ==== > Rootsweb is Free! But Rootsweb is supported by volunteers and > contributions. Show your support and become a member. Click here > for more information: > http://www.rootsweb.com In your book you are wrong. Your attitude reeks of bleeding heart liberalism. If you have a problem with slavery first you need to take it up with the black African tribes who captured other black African tribes and enslaved them. They were then sold to the Arabs. Then sold to the Portugese. Then sold to the Spanish. Then sold to the Dutch. Then sold to the English. Then sold to a few people in the South. Then you whin and blame the South on your woes. The vast majority of Southerners did not own slaves. They went to war because they were invaded. Just because some elected officials argued about slavery does not make slavery the issue. The constitution was the only issue. The same thing just happen a few monts ago in the congress and the senate. clinton was impeached for lying and subverting the Constitution. To many congressman and senators said it was about sex. It had nothing to do with sex but everything to do with subverting the Constitution just as in lincolns day it had nothing to do with slavery but everything to do with subverting the Constitution. The people in the South did not violate the constitution. They did not violate God's law either. The people of the South have been violated by the north since the first troops invaded the South. The north and the federal government has not stop violating the South and it continues to this very day. Go compare the treatment of slaves in Africa and in Asia to the US. The treatment of slaves in this country was far more "humane" than what was done in Africa and Asia. Then go take it up with you brothers in Africa. There are human rights violations going on today in the South. They are being commited against white Southerners whose ancestors never owned slaves. Long live a restored US Constitution or long live a restored Dixie, one without slaves. Harold