The more I learn about the resistance to disunion in the south, particular the reluctance of most people in North Carolina to secede, the more I wonder about the wisdom of Lincoln's calling for 75,000 volunteers to repossess property. Did he think about ways of freeing the slaves that might have avoided the "devastation" that was inflicted on the people and property of the South, all the people, and for decades to come?
This reminds me of the British proclamation in North Carolina in 1776 saying that although they were going to seize horses and equipment they were going to respect private property.
Did Lincoln's 15 April 1861 Proclamation create the conditions (including racial attitudes) out of which we saw un-Christian Evangelicals elect the current President?
I am not a great "what if?" person, but what if Lincoln had waited a little and thought through the situation a little more calmly?
No comments:
Post a Comment