...what's so civil about war anyway?

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From: Dave Long (dl@silcom.com)
Date: Mon Jan 24 2000 - 21:23:34 PST


> Of the historical experiences shaping America, slavery still lurks most
> poisonously in the bloodstream. Of course, that partly reflects the enormity
> of the system itself and the scale of the conflict that ended it: the Civil
> War (which began in South Carolina) was the first modern war.

Not only was the Civil War fought as a modern war on the
battlefields[0], but the Declarations of Causes of Secession[1]
show that it was fueled by modern concerns: disputes over validity
of contract, free trade, and strong property rights.

Now, since the antebellum South supported all three, do we then
ascribe to them the moral high ground?

-Dave

[0] Why did they always fight at national parks? Convenient
campsites and concessionaires?

[1] follow the links from:
<http://xent.ics.uci.edu/FoRK-archive/apr99/0272.html>
also check South Carolina's declaration for a discussion of
"compact" and breach thereof.


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