150 Years
Next year will be the 150th Anniversary of the start of the American War between the States, or more commonly called these days: the Civil War. As such, I am beginning to see a bit more on Civil War history beginning to filter in through the media. No doubt, much more will be made of the whole thing next year.
As an amateur Civil War historian (my master's thesis was largely on the topic), I like this turn of events. I know so many people under 40 who can't tell me thing one about the Civil War other than that it was about slavery, which is not technically a fully correct answer. The official title of the conflict in the official US Congressional annals is The War of the Rebellion. I personally believe the war was about just that: rebellion, or the Right of States to secede from the Union or not.
Granted, the major issue of why the Southern states wanted to rebel was primarily though not exclusively over slavery, but that is an indirect cause, not a direct cause. But, then again, I'm a good Southern boy, and that's just the lens through which I see the War between the States. I am sure others disagree, and that is just fine. All I ask is that you have an informed opinion on the matter. Most people coming out of college these days don't even have that, and that concerns me more that quibbling over semantics.
In any event, the reason I posted this is a great set of period photos that the BBC has here. They are worth a look see. Look how young some of those soldiers are.
Tragic, just tragic.
As an amateur Civil War historian (my master's thesis was largely on the topic), I like this turn of events. I know so many people under 40 who can't tell me thing one about the Civil War other than that it was about slavery, which is not technically a fully correct answer. The official title of the conflict in the official US Congressional annals is The War of the Rebellion. I personally believe the war was about just that: rebellion, or the Right of States to secede from the Union or not.
Granted, the major issue of why the Southern states wanted to rebel was primarily though not exclusively over slavery, but that is an indirect cause, not a direct cause. But, then again, I'm a good Southern boy, and that's just the lens through which I see the War between the States. I am sure others disagree, and that is just fine. All I ask is that you have an informed opinion on the matter. Most people coming out of college these days don't even have that, and that concerns me more that quibbling over semantics.
In any event, the reason I posted this is a great set of period photos that the BBC has here. They are worth a look see. Look how young some of those soldiers are.
Tragic, just tragic.
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