Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Don't compromise. Compromise is a language of the devil. Run in God's name and let the world stand back and in wonder.

Today marks the 150th anniversary of Captain George S. James sending the first mortar round through the air at Fort Sumter (SC). It was April 12, 1861. The Civil War was begun.

Abraham Lincoln was a polarizing figure, to say the least. On his agenda was dealing with a issue for which there really was no satisfactory compromise--slavery.

Were black folks afforded the same unalienable rights by the Creator?  That was the question.  The US government had answered in the negative for far too long and war was the means that moved the answer to the affirmative as they seemingly could come to no compromise on the issue. 

I wonder how we'd feel about a president who split the nation and effected the death of more than 600,000 Americans if it happened today. What issues are worth that much bloodshed? Was the liberation of the slaves worth the price?*

Suppose feelings about abortion were apportioned along geographical lines. How would we feel about a president whose conviction that pre-born babies are endowed by the Creator with the same unalienable rights as others moved him to drastic measures? Suppose the effects of that conviction led to a civil war and great bloodshed. Would their liberation be worth the price?

History has been kind to Lincoln, though it helps that his side was militarily successful. But, how would Americans 150 years later regard a president in our day who forced the issue on an issue for which there is no satisfactory compromise?

I honestly anticipate generations after us will see us as barbaric in our national lack of regard for the rights of those without a voice in our society, much as we view the proponents of slavery today.

*This question is not to minimize the sin of slavery, but there is an assumption by many that war was the only means of rectifying that national wrong.

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5 Comments:

At 12 April, 2011 13:36, Anonymous RonH said...

Your death toll is off by a factor of 10. More than 600,000 Americans were killed during the Civil War. IIRC, that's more than were killed in all other wars in US history combined.

It is a tragedy of epic proportions that the US was not able to abolish slavery peacefully, like the British Empire did. It might have been able to had the issue of secession never come up. The slaves were freed, but irreparable harm was done to our republic in the process... We ceased to be the "United States" and became "the United State". This is a major cause of the massive financial crisis our gov't now finds itself in.

 
At 12 April, 2011 14:32, Blogger GUNNY said...

D'oh! I'll fix that figure typo. Thanks.

 
At 12 April, 2011 14:44, Blogger GUNNY said...

Well said, Ron. I couldn't agree more. 600,000 dead Americans & the State versus slavery is/was a false dichotomy.

One could also argue the racial unrest & resentment in the south was a by-product.

 
At 14 April, 2011 00:10, Blogger Cody said...

Anraham!!!

 
At 14 April, 2011 12:10, Blogger GUNNY said...

Isn't that what he's called in the south?

 

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