Quote:
Originally Posted by KSigkid
Not to turn this into a historical debate, I hope you see the logical problems with this argument...
I think we all understand that slavery was prevalent in the North, and that the abolitionists were disliked in areas of the North...but again, I think there are some issues with your statement. It seems more like you're making an overstatement to get across a point that the Union wasn't perfect (which, admittedly, it wasn't).
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No overstatement - it's a fact. Since I'm speaking factually, I wouldn't say slavery was prevalent in the North (in the 1860s), nor that abolitionists were popular.
I was referring to the FACT that while slavery was outlawed by the Emancipation Proclamation in the unoccupied states of the C.S.A. it continued to be legal in the slave-owning states in the Union. After the War slavery was totally abolished by Consitutional Amendment. Given that historical fact, it is illogical to equate the uniform of the CSA with slavery. I understand the emotional response that some groups have, but my whole point is that it is not a logical one. It isn't about anybody being perfect - it is indeed about logic. I would be interested in what you regard as illogical in my statement that since slavery was outlawed in the CSA before the USA it would actually be more logically valid to argue that the Union Army uniform should be considered racist.
FWIW, I think the entire American culture north and south was racist in the sense we are discussing, and that it is ultimately detrimental to try and cast "good" and "bad" guys - the whole issue is far more complex than that, and I have found that those who buy into the whole "North was morally superior" mindset fail to recognize the larger societal issues raised by the idea that maybe the entire country had a problem, and not just the scrapegoat South.
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