re: History Debate: Ulysses S. Grant vs. Robert E. Lee

quote:

---

Was a basic premise that "after the South declared its independence, the Union ruthlessly invaded, leaving Southerners no choice but to defend themselves?"

---

It discusses northern war atrocities but the parts I was most interested in were discussions concerning right of secession and reconstruction, also letters and such from prominent people of the time. Sometimes what you say in public is not what you say in private.

quote:

---

He discusses the dismal future awaiting the former slaves, remember he wrote the book in 1866.

---

I must admit I only read part of the book in college.

And I agree wholeheartedly on the condition not just for slaves post war but for the South as a whole was abysmal.

Its just that some, not this writer per say have pointed to the condition of former slaves after the war as another reason not to have fought the war at all. As in they were better off as slaves than post war freemen.

Also they never would have had to suffer the backlash caused by reconstruction

quote:

---

They had the problem of what to do with the former slaves.

---

The whole country was concerned with this.
Its still amazing to me that it even went as well as it did. Most would be shocked at such thoughts but I believe it to be true.
Millions of slaves suddenly free in the land of their oppressors?
North and South were both right to question the outcome of such a paradigm.

quote:

---

It seems that there is no way to know if slaves would have had it better or worse if no war had occurred.

---

Freedom trumps all.
Period.

I cannot imagine someone in this country speculating otherwise.

Same here

Pretending that somehow Southerners would gradually free their slaves and accept them into their society as equals defies logic.

quote:

---

do not hint in the least of any mentality "that slavery had

---

That's why I made the comment about private statements vs public statements.

quote:

---

It would have ended within a generation, but that is still one additional generation of slavery. No positive way to spin that.

---

I believe this to be true, 10 to 15 years tops if that long. The south stopped the importation of slaves for a reason, they didn't know what to do with the ones they had.

great post