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[Staph]

35. Be my guest!

Someone else here on DU had a link to an online article titled I Will Not Argue About The Confederate Flag -- http://www.thetattooedprof.com/archives/407 (my apologies to the original poster -- I can't find the original post).

It is a powerful letter, and it contains, among many other references, a link to the Wikipedia article about the Cornerstone Speech. I consider myself a history buff, and I'm a Civil War re-enactor as well (portraying a typical Union woman of western Virginia/West Virginia), but I'd never even heard of this speech. It really puts to rest the notion that the south left the Union because they were unhappy about tariffs, and that slavery was a minor issue that no one really talked about.

For many years, I've been arguing with my Confederate re-enactor acquaintances about the reasons for the war. In the past I've sent them links to the various states' articles of secession, which invariably begin with the whine that "the north is trying to take away our slaves!" But this speech is even better.