re: LeVar Burton shocked to discover he's descended from a Confederate soldier

quote:

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I just quoted the story. I know slavery was a big issue that lead to the Civil War, that cannot be denied. But it was not the sole reason for the Civil War, nor was it what motivated the vast majority of Southern men and Northern men who didn’t even own slaves or care anything about it to take up arms.

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Yeah, slavery was far down the list of reasons the average confederate soldier fought. Number one reason for many soldiers was that they were conscripted or faced heavy societal pressures to enlist. If you were a young man during that war, your only choice was to fight.

I always wonder if an independent CSA would have been similar to other western nations, or more like Apartheid South Africa. I always assumed there would be a splintering, with Texas going its own way, possible taking Louisiana with it. New England was always itching to secede. Maybe you end up with 7 or 8 different countries with a similar feel to Europe. There is plenty of fiction about just such an occurrence.