The truth about the Civil War's cause in 2 sentences and relating it to today's political landscape

[Chainfire]

20. Of course, the events that led to the Civil War were simple....

Bad guys vs good guys. Monsters vs saints....Black and white, cut and dried.

Although I am descended a from a family that were plantation owners and slave holders, I certainly realize how evil the institution was and I don't support the Confederacy any more than I support the Nazis or the other MAGAS. You get to choose your politics but you don't get to choose your ancestors.

That said, the young men who served the Confederacy as cannon fodder went to war for the same reasons all young men, everywhere, throughout history, go to wars. They were told, by their elders, that it was the patriotic thing to do and if they didn't they were cowards. A parallel may be our war in Viet Nam. Most progressives damn that war, rightfully, but don't damn the soldiers.

Southern soldiers were victims, not boogeymen. Here is the photo of a Southern soldier, a distant relative that died "defending his country" He was a kid, from the "have not" side of the family, he was not a rich landowner, not a slave holder, just a kid, when he was decapitated by a cannon ball. Damn slavery, damn the generals, damn the politicians, and damn the slave owners, but the soldiers were just soldiers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Private_Edwin_Francis_Jemison.jpg