The confederate flag issue is stupid. All the other candidates are wanting to try to knock off Dean. They need some innocuous issue such as this flag thing. I think the Confederate flag decal people probably won't vote Demo anyway. But it could become a divisive issue, especially after all the visibility the other demo candidates have given to this issue.
The confederate flag thing is just a tender subject amongst Demos. It has taken on a racist aura, but in reality this is a symbol that was actually developed by southern dems.
The Civil war was fought on the issue of sovranty and states rights. While slavery was an issue for some, for many including Lincoln the main issues were whether we would go forward united, or divided. Lincoln even said once about the slavery issue, that if the nation can stay together without slavery, then that is what we should do, or if the nation can stay together with slavery, then that is what we should do. While he opposed slavery, he also felt that preserving the union was more important.
Lee on the other hand felt that the state was his nation. He did not like the idea of giving up rights that were his in his state to a federal government.
The battle flag was a symbol of independence in the south, not of enslavement per say. Though it was plain that the south favored slavery. What is not clear is how long that slavery might have been able to go on even in the south, with or with out the Civil War.
The emancipation proclamation of 1862, while freeing slaves in the breakaway states still allowed slavery in the still loyal border states, and even in the northern states, but freed the salves in the breakaway states. Thereby providing incentive for liberated slaves to fight on as liberators themselves. More than 200,000 slaves participated in the Civil War fighting for the north.
Orca |
