To: combjelly who wrote (249300 ) 9/4/2005 7:10:27 PM From: tejek Read Replies (1) | Respond to Make no mistake, the South never forgot Reconstruction. Just like Georgia never forgot Sherman's March To The Sea, burning everything in his path. The landholders encouraged anger with the North. The Deep South is littered with shrines to this or that, battlefields are carefully preserved and re-enactments of battles are common. The North winning wasn't anything pre-ordained. If some small things had gone the other way, the North would have lost. So the feeling that "we wuz robbed" is very strong. The benefit the landholders got from fanning the flames is that it made people less likely to seek change in the system. Which was fine with them. Economic development made a huge difference. Prior to the 1960s and 1970s, being an obvious Yankee anywhere in the rural South could have a negative impact on your well being. That isn't true any more. The racism had faded a lot for the same reason. And the South is better for it.
