Calexit and the American Civil War

The American Civil War was a tumultuous time. A number of states were very unhappy with the federal government and wanted to leave the union. The federal government would have none of that. Instead, they wanted the states to obey the dictates from Washington. Is that any different from today?

Let’s look at Calexit from a historical perspective.

When I was in school I was quite the history buff. Indeed, one of my most favorite classes was history. I would read my textbooks for fun, and I completely absorbed the information there like a sponge. It didn’t matter what I was reading. I loved it all…

As a Boy Growing Up

Like all boys my age, I was interested in everything. My historical interests varied considerably. It was everywhere from giant man-eating dinosaurs (or so I believed, heh heh) to buried temples of gold. It ran the gambit from the German experience on the Eastern battlefront against the Russians, to the mysterious tunnels under the ground in South America. Like most other children, I devoured reading about the mysteries of the past, the huge cities buried under the sand in Egypt, and the American Indians. When I grew older, I went and visited many of the earthen mounds built by the various American Indians. I visited historical reenactments of Civil War battles, and would go out and search the fields for “arrowheads” and other evidence of a life long gone.

The area where I grew up was filled with history. No, it wasn’t the same kind of history that one would find in the streets of Rome, or in the mountains of Peru. It was local history. It was the lore of the families that lived where I lived. As it was a very colorful place. People such as Davy Crockett, and Johnny Appleseed trundled through the woods in the past. Others would paddle by canoe up and down the river trading in animal hides. Battles were fought against the French, and the British. Indian tribes came and went. Industry grew, and then collapsed. The hills were alive with secrets. These were secrets that my friends could only whisper about. Least their parents found out.

There were isolated (and well-hidden) caves with shackles hammered into the low stonewalls. There were aged and overgrown platforms, often in inaccessible sections high up on the sides of cliffs. There were hermits living in tumble down sheds living with a pack of dogs. There were old men, living alone, who eked out a living with their lone oil well. Thrashing through the woods, we would sometimes run across an old millstone, or an abandoned train tunnel; dark and cool with water dripping down from the ceiling.

Local Lore

As a boy, we all knew about local lore. We knew about the early smelting furnaces that dotted the sides of the Allegheny River. For that is how American steelmaking began. It started in Western Pennsylvania. As there were all the elements necessary for the dawn of the steel industry. There was iron ore. Coal, and easy water transport. Ore was transported by river to the furnaces, smelted, and turned into iron ore. Then the ore went downstream to the emerging metropolis of Pittsburgh where it was turned into steel.

We would ride our bicycles (“banana seat” Schwinn with “drag strip” rear tires and “ape hanger” handle bars), along the old train tracks and dirt roads to the now abandoned communities alongside the river. Then, once we would visit the long overgrown communities, we would explore. We would collect one hundred year old bottles, crawl in and out of the decaying wood structures, and walk along the ancient stone walls and decaying “spring houses”.

The nearest abandoned town to us was Sara Furnace, but there were many others. This included such communities as Redbank Furnace, Allegheny Furnace, Cornwall Furnace, and Sligo Furnace. These were communities that revolved all around a central smelting furnace. These were large stone structures, which resembled an Egyptian pyramid in shape. I have another article totally devoted to this subject, and the reader can get their fill of this most interesting tidbit of Pennsylvania lore HERE.

Obviously, I grew up in the coalfields of Western Pennsylvania.

The Earth was filled with History

My interests weren’t limited to one or two centuries hence. I loved all history. This included mysteries and secrets from long, long ago.

For instance, when I was around ten years old, there were renovations at a pool that we attended. While my family was out swimming, I would go through the shale that the diggers unearthed. (Yeah, I was very weird.) In the shale, I would find images of forgotten plants and animals, and fossils of a time long before the introduction of man. I would collect these rocks. Let me tell you, it drove my mother crazy. In no time, I had my walls and bedroom shelves filled with the patterns of millions of years old leaves, twigs, and plants. Who knows where these rocks are today. They were probably dumped at the side of the road when I left for college.

The past has always been an interest of mine.

"I've never owned, or was a slave, and a large percentage of our forefathers weren't wealthy enough to own one either. Please stop blaming me because some prior white people were idiots -- and remember, tons of white, Indian, Chinese, and other races have been enslaved too -- it was wrong for every one of them. "

-Ted Nugent

Western Pennsylvania was known for its coalmines, and steel mills. Like everyone there who worked in mines, were tales of all sorts of things that would fall out of the rock and shale that we dug up. Things such as metal pins, nails, chains, parts of metal pots and other odd things were always falling out of the coal chunks. They would leave behind their impressions in the rocks, like a mold. These were not borderline curiosities. No. These were complex metal parts; formed, machined and cast metal parts that somehow found their way into rock hard chunks of coal.

This is not just hearsay. When I was in my teens, I worked at the rock crusher at the coalmines. I saw it happen numerous times with my own eyes. I felt the coal and rock. I ran my finger along the natural molds that the parts came out of.

Many times the parts would be tossed. After all, who wants to pocket a nail, or an oddly shaped screw, or an unusual shaped metal part? We certainly didn’t. Now we might have kept these items if they resembled a coin or an arrowhead. However, when an interesting part would tumble out of the chunk, it usually went to the tipple supervisor. My supervisor (Barney) actually had a small collection of various metal constructions that resembled doll-sized teapots, splayed leg holders, and shined-side metal pan lids.

Back then, my job was to make sure that the rock would enter the crusher and not get hung up. To this end, I would stand above the rock crusher, standing on metal slits, and would use a pole to push the coal chunks into the crushing machine below. It was quite dangerous work. As numerous times I had slipped and fell below onto the coal as it was entering the rock crusher. I would need to crawl back up to the top of the bin so that I would not get eaten by the crushing jaws below. I would quickly scramble upward and grab hold of the slats and pull myself up through the bars. It was frightening, but after a few times, it was no big deal. It was fine because no one ever got hurt. Though, I did lose a hard hat or two as they were chewed up into tiny bits.

We worked alternating shifts. About half the time we worked “the tipple” which was where we stood above the rock crusher, and fed the coal into the maws of death. The other half of the time, we worked below underneath. Here we would sort out the junk that came out from the crushed rocks. The crushed rocks would enter the top in huge chunks the size of a washing machine. Then once it was crushed, it would be in the size of a toaster with many pieces of gravel-sized debris. This would consist of chunks of clay, and all sorts of things. Not only rocks, gravels, and tree limbs, but also everyday-trash tumbled down below. This would include anything from beer cans, to doll heads, and bent up license plates.

I, myself, have seen odd things fall out of a cracked block of coal. These were impossible things. Such as worked screws and nails. Things that were too impossible to exist. As we humans are only a few thousands of years old, don’t ya know.

Yah. Don’t ya know…

It was my interest in history that caused me to take additional classes in history and anthropology while I was attending college. In fact, one of my favorite classes involved a summer excavation of the remains of an Indian community on the banks of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania. There, I would joyously excavate cm by cm a one-meter square plot of ground. I found scrapers, “arrow heads” (which really weren’t for arrows, but rather the tips of spears), and various implements used in the grinding of corn.

Ah, but that is a story for another time…

A Fan of History

The point is that I am a fan of history. I cannot say that I am an expert, but I have more than just a mere passing interest in it.  You, the reader, can consider me an interested amateur.

To me, history is about people.

It is not about dates, rules, laws and places. It is about the hopes and dreams of those whom have come before. I would read their stories and imagine what I would do if I were “in their shoes”. I could imagine myself building a log cabin in the woods. I could easily picture myself as a Roman soldier with my legion. I could see myself sailing around the Grecian islands. I could even picture myself wearing a funny white powdered wig and dancing in a palace in Paris. I always enjoyed reading about historical events. I am the kind of guy who would buy a book on an interesting segment of history. This included such things as war, adventure, romance, and science.

I have collected books on a wide and diverse range of subjects. These things were all over the place. From a guide to ancient Roman fashion, multiple old school texts, and translations of Samarian clay tablets. In fact, I would collect former history textbooks that I picked up in yard sales and repurposed them for casual bathroom reading. I used to have a stack in “my” bathroom full of old history books, copies of Discover and Omni magazine, old copies of the “Freak Brothers”, a tattered old “Last Whole Earth Catalog”, and some ancient “Men’s Magazines” (such as “Men’s Adventure”) and a “Mad Magazine” or two. Which is the reason, don’t you know, among others why this post is written.

I like to read, and I especially love stories from history.

I enjoy history. It holds meaning to me, and helps to explain to me the trends and behaviors of modern culture. I say this because contemporaneous American culture and society is perplexing to me. The only way that I can sort it out is through the prism of those who have come before us. I look at the lessons of the past to help understand the complexities of the present. And, unless you have been living under a rock, life today is very complex.

As stated previously, this post is written as a knowledgeable fan of history and NOT as an expert.

History has been Rewritten and it is Insulting

My current concern is the manipulation of the historical record for political gain.

"Mr. Obama never missed an opportunity to sew racial divide. During his term in the Oval Office, racial relations literally went off the cliff. Mr. Obama and first lady Michelle promoted the false narrative that white America was literally guilty of hunting down blacks with glee. They whipped up resentment in minority communities against the police, even though a Harvard study found that blacks are no more likely to be killed by police than whites."

-L. Todd Wood 

Ah, it is true. History is constantly being rewritten. There is a saying that the history of war is always written by the victors. I tend to agree with that. You don’t have to be an Egyptian pharaoh to chisel away the records and deeds of your predecessors. All you need to do is to hit the reset button and rewrite the dialog. For today as in the past, history today is defined by those in power. This means, unfortunately, that those who have the most money get to define what our past was.

So that anti-social nerd that you laughed at in school, you know the one who is now worth billions of dollars, can direct the narrative of your past. That über -rich American-Hungarian Nazi collaborator can now direct how your children learn history. That lazy dope-smoking ignoramus from the back of the school classroom who is now in government can dictate what to put in textbooks.

My gawd, the world is being run by imbeciles.

We all know (or should know) that historical perspectives vary from geographical narrative to geographical narrative. The American “War of Independence” is described quite differently to students in Britain.

A perfect example of this is in China. What is being taught in Chinese schools is quite different than what is taught in American schools. For example, in China the “Cultural Revolution” in China is described quite differently (in horror as a great mistake) than what is being taught in American universities as a massive success of liberal progressive ideals.

We all can see this. There should be nothing surprising about this at all.

Look about how Stalin had airbrushed people out of photos. Look at how China discusses Tiananmen. Look at how ISS treated museums. And all of this is only about published books, journals and magazines. Now consider adding the Internet to the mixture of sources that can be manipulated and rewritten. In fact, the Internet is one big “whiteboard” (Blackboard, for those older readers.) that is constantly being rewritten to fit whatever purposes deemed necessary by those with the funds, time, and resources to do so.

However, it would take time. Typically, it would take a decade to change public opinion. It would take about one generation to bring people about.

That is, until the Internet came about.

Where once it would take a full generation before the revised history could manifest. It can now be accomplished within weeks. Or, months at the latest.  In the past, old texts would be discarded and replaced with new texts. The changes and revisions were slight. They were small, and were too insignificant to be concerned about. However, that is all different today. Within weeks, or at worst, months, a complete new narrative can be concocted and presented as the “truth” to an unwitting public.

History is Rewritten for a Purpose

History is often changed for political purposes.

For example, it was difficult to have American Western expansion in and through Indian held territory unless the Indians were presented as wild savages, and barbaric non-humans. It was difficult to convince immigrants of the Midwest to join forces to battle the Germans in World War I. To enter into war in the Mideast, we had to fight to “save” the people of Kuwait. To battle against Iraq we had to prevent nuclear armageddon because they supposedly had weapons of mass destruction.

To justify the attack on the Falkland Islands, Argentina needed a massive propaganda campaign to convince the citizenry that war was justified. To round up and kill Jews, Hitler spent years readying the German people through propaganda and targeted attacks. In the United States, the War on Drugs spent enormous amounts of money on propaganda. Indeed, if history tells us anything it is this; in order for the population to be compliant with changes in society, they need to be primed and acquiescent.

It’s fine when you have uneducated people walking around in a daze, for they are easily manipulated. The problem comes when not everyone is asleep.

Imagine that you, the reader, are going to buy a used car. While you are waiting in the Sales Office, you hear the salesman cracking jokes about how stupid you are. You overhear how you are going to pay over three times the amount that the dealership paid for it. Further, to make matters worse, you actually had already signed the paperwork. It’s too late to make changes. You are stuck with a deal that you know is bad for you.

That’s how it is when you actually know a little about history.

You know the past. You can “feel” the past. You know the history, the reasons, the people involved. While you might not have been there, you can at least understand what “went down”. You understand that the past was complicated. You know that things happened, and often the events were complex and confusing. You realize that there is never a simple answer for the events of the past. Decisions were made by people who are now long dead. They made those decisions based on what they knew.

So it is an insult when someone tries to ram down a simplistic political narrative down our throats. We know better.

We know that life is complex and wonderful. We know that smoking one marijuana cigarette will not turn most people into heroin addicts. We know that not every illegal immigrant is a member of a violent drug gang. We know that listening to rock music will not turn us into worshippers of Satan. We know that we won’t die if we refuse vaccinations. We know that wearing cute and sexy clothing is not an invitation to rape someone.

There is an American saying in regards to this. “Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it is raining.”

Contemporaneous Manipulation of History

One of the things that have upset many people in the United States today, and which contributed to the election of Donald Trump, is an overt contempt for the American people by those in the federal government. And, as such, it’s so open. It’s so brazen. It’s so provable and beyond question. It is an insult to my intelligence. As such, I am absolutely aghast at the political rewriting of history. Not that it is being done, but rather where it is being done. It is being done in America.

Of course, what I am talking about is changing the historical record.

The ignorant can’t possibly notice. They never paid attention during history class. They don’t read. They have no interests in anything other than the latest fashion, and popular culture. They are interested in the trivial. It doesn’t matter who the most popular person or issue is. It could be Kim Kardashian or Soopy Sales. It could be anything. They are mostly just attractive people with a good PR firm. They are mostly actors and people of moderate talent who have managed to charm the likes of the billionaire oligarchy that runs the American media. (I wonder how they manage to get into the spotlight?)

However, those of us who know history are actually aware of the changes to the historical record. It is disturbing, and when coupled with other rampaging alterations to various narratives, upsetting.

That awareness hurts.

Changes to the History of the American Civil War

The history of the Civil War is under revision.

Just like the removal of historical Statues, and the desecration of graves, American history is being altered. It’s blatant and “in your face”. It is organized. Popular television shows are cancelled and access to them is getting to be impossible. Speaking up, even the slightest smidgeon, will result in an army of enraged water buffalos (figuratively) stampeding towards you.

Before any SWJ or BLM has a conniption fit, let me make myself perfectly clear.

The reader is cautioned that I was not alive during the time of the American Civil War. In fact, my ancestors were not even Americans at the time. That’s right, so throw out your messed up ideas about my “White Privilege”. I had no privilege. I friggin’ worked. My entire family worked, and at best eked out a middle class lifestyle. At best, that is. (If you need to know, I friggin’ mined coal underground, then worked in a steel mill. So, cut the shit!) My ancestors weren’t in the United States, and they had nothing to do about the Civil War or any of the issues that surrounded it. Instead, they had their own problems to worry about.

My relatives were too busy struggling with a potato blight in Ireland , and having to get drawn into servitude to escape it, and enslavement by the Russians in Poland. Don’t know about that, do you? It doesn’t fit the desired political narrative. Yeah. Just like your pampered baby who cries when it tosses it’s food on the floor. Life is hard. Get over it.

Get. Over. It.

What I opine about is not about the things that I personally experienced regarding the American Civil War. As I have no experiences, have you? Nope. The American Civil War ended a long, long time ago. Everyone who participated in it is now DEAD. They are dead. If you did dig them up, you will see rotting flesh and foul odors.

You make the best of your life with what you have, and don’t cry over the failures of people long dead and gone.

This is not in defense of slavery. I think slavery is despicable. This is not in defense of separation from the Union. Though, it is clear that the grievances raised by the Southern States were not addressed by the federal government. This is not about what the actual causes were. This is not about who was involved. It is not about their skin color. It is not about the terrible things that happened during the war. This particular post is about one thing and one thing only; that history can be rewritten and is constantly in the process of being rewritten.

This is about HOW past history can change.

The Causes of the American Civil War

I choose to use the “causes of the American civil war” as an illustration of this.

Why? It is because it is an excellent example.  I contend that for political reasons, that it is expedient to change the historical narrative. In the historical narrative there is a significant change. Starting in 2008, and culminating in 2013, the historical narrative went from “many causes with State’s rights being predominant” to “only one main cause being slavery”.

Pause. Think about it.

I contend that prior to 2008, most published books state the reasons for the American Civil War involved a host of issues. (Don’t believe me? Get any school textbook published before the year 2000. See for yourself.) All of the issues fit within a single overriding issue with the tenth amendment. This is known, collectively, as “state’s rights”.

I further contend that after 2008, through to 2016, the narrative changed substantially. It became something else. The reason became “slavery”.

I am not alone in this belief. Indeed, former first-wife Michelle Obama herself expressed a need to change the historical narrative regarding American history. She said it. She told everyone. She let the “big secret” out of the bag. The narrative changed to show that America is and was always a racist, bigoted nation. She said that we needed to change our history.

“We are going to have to change our conversation; we’re going to have to change our traditions, our history; we’re going to have to move into a different place as a nation.”

-Michelle Obama, May 14, 2008

In their race to change history, I’m sure for good reasons, they have actually implemented it very sloppily.

As such, the changes were implemented too quickly. They were too obvious. They were easy to crosscheck against. They did not do their homework. What they should of done first was preceded the implementation of the new historical narrative with mandatory book-burnings and various purges of libraries. That always happens before a new social narrative takes place and is implemented. Mostly it is conducted in secret. Books are collected. Newspapers are bought up and their records purged.

Obviously they didn’t know how to implement this new narrative properly. They should have studied history, and learned from the experts. Come on, it is obvious. Before you change the past, destroy all evidence of it.

It is the first thing you do when you establish a liberal progressive utopia. You erase the past. Then you construct a new past that allows your “reforms” to be implemented.

An Interesting Time

The change in narrative is about a specific singular issue regarding the American Civil War. It is concerned with the causes of the war.

The build up to the American Civil War was a very interesting time. (Let’s not get caught up in any of the other interesting aspects of this time. Let’s stay focused.) In fact, there are many parallels to what is going on today. (This is why this post was written.) The decision of the Southern States to leave the American Union was not an easy one. In fact, there were years of debate over it. It did not happen overnight. There were years of activities that eventually resulted in discussions for leaving the Union. The American Congress and the Senate endlessly debated the issues that eventually led to the rupture of the North and South.

Luckily for us, it’s all on record.

The Reasons Given by the States

From civilwar.org;

“One method by which to analyze this historical conflict is to focus on primary sources.  Every state in the Confederacy issued an “Article of Secession” declaring their break from the Union.

Four states went further.

Texas, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina all issued additional documents, usually referred to as the “Declarations of Causes," which explain their decision to leave the Union.  The documents can be found in their entirety here.”

This debate clearly framed the causes and reasons why the South left the Union.  It’s all there. Just read the historical record. Don’t take my word for it. Read what is in the actual transcripts. Read, for yourself, what the Senator from South Carolina had to say. Read for yourself, what the Senators from Mississippi, and Virginia had to say about this matter. Don’t listen to the conventional narrative. Read the transcripts yourself. You read the texts yourself.

It’s a federal record.

A Note of Warning

That being said, anything found on the Internet is suspect. The link above directs us to transcribed  versions of the original documents. It does not direct us to the actual documents. It directs us to transcribed versions. Versions, I must add, were created at the same time when revisionist history was assaulting established history. Instead, the reader should always use the original historical documents and NOT the transcribed versions. Read the originals. Avoid all transcribed versions when possible.

The reader can see the actual documents here;

• The Declaration of Causes of succession by the State of Georgia
• The Declaration of Causes of succession by the State of Mississippi
• The Declaration of Causes of succession by the State of South Carolina
• The Declaration of Causes of succession by the State of Texas
• The Declaration of Causes of succession by the State of Virginia

State of Georgia

The state of Georgia drafted up Declaration of Causes as to why they left the union. What the State of Georgia had to say is interesting. They mention slavery but in terms of financial interests. Here’s what they had to say about that;

“Northern anti-slavery men of all parties asserted the right to exclude slavery from the territory by Congressional legislation and demanded the prompt and efficient exercise of this power to that end.”

The Northern states demanded that the Southern states abolish slavery. That is pretty clearly stated. However, they were very concerned about commerce and financial issues. While the issue about slavery consisted of three (rather long) sentences, the bulk of the document revolved around paragraph after paragraph after paragraph after paragraph solely devoted to commerce and financial interests that were being suppressed by the Federal government. But don’t my word for it, you can read it yourself.

“The material prosperity of the North was greatly dependent on the Federal Government; that of the South not at all. In the first years of the Republic the navigating, commercial, and manufacturing interests of the North began to seek profit and aggrandizement at the expense of the agricultural interests. Even the owners of fishing smacks sought and obtained bounties for pursuing their own business (which yet continue), and $500,000 is now paid them annually out of the Treasury. The navigating interests begged for protection against foreign shipbuilders and against competition in the coasting trade.

Congress granted both requests, and by prohibitory acts gave an absolute monopoly of this business to each of their interests, which they enjoy without diminution to this day. Not content with these great and unjust advantages, they have sought to throw the legitimate burden of their business as much as possible upon the public; they have succeeded in throwing the cost of light-houses, buoys, and the maintenance of their seamen upon the Treasury, and the Government now pays above $2,000,000 annually for the support of these objects. Theses interests, in connection with the commercial and manufacturing classes, have also succeeded, by means of subventions to mail steamers and the reduction in postage, in relieving their business from the payment of about $7,000,000 annually, throwing it upon the public Treasury under the name of postal deficiency.

The manufacturing interests entered into the same struggle early, and has clamored steadily for Government bounties and special favors. This interest was confined mainly to the Eastern and Middle non-slave-holding States. Wielding these great States it held great power and influence, and its demands were in full proportion to its power. The manufacturers and miners wisely based their demands upon special facts and reasons rather than upon general principles, and thereby mollified much of the opposition of the opposing interest. They pleaded in their favor the infancy of their business in this country, the scarcity of labor and capital, the hostile legislation of other countries toward them, the great necessity of their fabrics in the time of war, and the necessity of high duties to pay the debt incurred in our war for independence. These reasons prevailed, and they received for many years enormous bounties by the general acquiescence of the whole country.

But when these reasons ceased they were no less clamorous for Government protection, but their clamors were less heeded-- the country had put the principle of protection upon trial and condemned it. After having enjoyed protection to the extent of from 15 to 200 per cent. upon their entire business for above thirty years, the act of 1846 was passed. It avoided sudden change, but the principle was settled, and free trade, low duties, and economy in public expenditures was the verdict of the American people. The South and the Northwestern States sustained this policy. There was but small hope of its reversal; upon the direct issue, none at all.”

The problem, it seems is that the Federal government was too busy dictating what the State of Georgia was to do. This was unacceptable to an “independent” state. As such, Georgia did not like it one bit. As the tenth amendment gave Georgia independence in manners related to everything not specifically laid out in the US Constitution.

“With these principles on their banners and these utterances on their lips the majority of the people of the North demand that we shall receive them as our rulers.”

They were correct.

Why is this important? Well, look to our contemporaneous issues. Where in the United States Constitution does it say that California must pay taxes to the Federal government? Why can’t California keep all of its tax revenue itself? It certainly needs it. Where does the Constitution say that California must fund, build and maintain a wall to keep people out of the USA? It doesn’t. Yet, here we have the Federal government dictating to California what it must do.

Then, as now, the issues were the same.

Georgia recognized these issues as serious ones. They did not want the federal government telling them what they could and could not do with their own laws; with their own finances, and their own people.

Why did Georgia leave the United States? Was it because of slavery? The answer is right in front of our eyes. We don’t need Al Sharpton to tell us. We don’t need President Obama to tell us. We don’t need Maxine Walters to tell us. We can simply read the reasons directly from the people who made those decisions.

They gave their reasons. They most certainly did. They spelled it out quite clearly. Here is why…

“Why? Because by their declared principles and policy they have outlawed $3,000,000,000 of our property in the common territories of the Union; put it under the ban of the Republic in the States where it exists and out of the protection of Federal law everywhere; because they give sanctuary to thieves and incendiaries who assail it to the whole extent of their power, in spite of their most solemn obligations and covenants; because their avowed purpose is to subvert our society and subject us not only to the loss of our property but the destruction of ourselves, our wives, and our children, and the desolation of our homes, our altars, and our firesides. To avoid these evils we resume the powers which our fathers delegated to the Government of the United States, and henceforth will seek new safeguards for our liberty, equality, security, and tranquility.

Approved, Tuesday, January 29, 1861”

It seems to me, after reading what Georgia had to say, that the issues were complex and involved. The issue was not a singular and simple issue. It was not only slavery. There is not one single word stating that slavery was a reason for leaving the union. That should be clear to anyone with an intelligence IQ over 5.

In short, they did not like the federal government and the Northern states telling them what to do. They reasoned that the tenth amendment limited the powers of the federal government and that they could do what they wished within their own territory. That included everything, including and not limited to, slavery. They felt that the federal government was involved in substantial overreach, and they could no longer tolerate it.

Isn’t that true today… only worse?

Mississippi

Every state had their reasons for leaving. They were all different. Mississippi was a major slave-holding state. What did they have to say? Their Declaration of Causes was quite blunt.

“In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the government of which we so long formed a part, it is but just that we should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.

Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin. That we do not overstate the dangers to our institution, a reference to a few facts will sufficiently prove.”

Ah, so in the case of Mississippi, the major cause of their departure from the Union was actually slavery. By outlawing slavery, the economic foundation of Mississippi would collapse, and the state government could not accept that.

They continued by listing the various concerns, but the message is clear. If they continue along the course and direction from the federal government, the state government would be a mere shadow of its former self. It would be a “puppet government” under the control of the all-mighty federal government.

Isn’t that what happened?

It looks like what they were afraid of, actually happened. They were right. They were correct.

“In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the government of which we so long formed a part, it is but just that we should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.

Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin. That we do not overstate the dangers to our institution, a reference to a few facts will sufficiently prove.”

South Carolina

They were not too happy with the federal government either. They also drafted up a document describing their reasons for leaving the Union. You know, dear reader, for all the stuff on the Internet saying that the one lone cause of the American Civil War was slavery, why don’t they simply post the actual documents. They say it better than any simplistic singular reason could ever do.

Yes. Why not post the originals? The answer is simple. It is the same reason why CNN, MSNBC and WaPo never shows unedited videos of President Trump speaking. They just have a GIF loop of him talking, while their newscasters tell us what he means. Same thing.

“Thus were established the two great principles asserted by the Colonies, namely: the right of a State to govern itself; and the right of a people to abolish a Government when it becomes destructive of the ends for which it was instituted. And concurrent with the establishment of these principles, was the fact, that each Colony became and was recognized by the mother Country a FREE, SOVEREIGN AND INDEPENDENT STATE.”

Ouch.

They argue that they always have the right to govern themselves independently of the federal government and that right cannot be infringed upon. They rejected the overreach of the federal government.  In fact, they went into great detail regarding the legality of the agreement with the federal government and that they had the right to live their lives as they seemed fit.

Finally, paragraph after paragraph after paragraph after paragraph, we eventually get to the part about slavery. They wrote;

“These ends it endeavored to accomplish by a Federal Government, in which each State was recognized as an equal, and had separate control over its own institutions. The right of property in slaves was recognized by giving to free persons distinct political rights, by giving them the right to represent, and burthening them with direct taxes for three-fifths of their slaves; by authorizing the importation of slaves for twenty years; and by stipulating for the rendition of fugitives from labor.”

Ah, thus they argue that state revenue would collapse if slave owners no longer had slaves. This was because slave owners paid taxes on the slaves. They go on to describe how the federal government assists in the abolition of slavery and how this affects the state income tax derived from the slave owners.

After reading the South Carolina Declaration of Causes it is clear that they wanted to revert to the status of an independent nation again. Unlike the Georgia declaration that listed a multitude of reasons, and the Mississippi declaration that rested upon slavery, this declaration revolved around the reasons why South Carolina joined the United States in the first place, what they expected what would happen, and what actually did happen. They obviously wanted no part of it.

If I were California and wanted to leave the United States, I would model my declaration of Causes from the South Carolina model. Pay attention Calexit activists.

Texas

At the time of the Declaration of Causes Texas was still quite new to the United States. Indeed, they had only joined the Union a mere fifteen years earlier in 1845. They begin clearly stating that the United States PROMISED that Texas could remain free and independent.

Hah! It didn’t happen. Oh, once you make a deal with the devil, it’s very difficult to get your soul back.

“The government of the United States, by certain joint resolutions, bearing date the 1st day of March, in the year A.D. 1845, proposed to the Republic of Texas, then *a free, sovereign and independent nation* [emphasis in the original], the annexation of the latter to the former, as one of the co-equal states thereof,

The people of Texas, by deputies in convention assembled, on the fourth day of July of the same year, assented to and accepted said proposals and formed a constitution for the proposed State, upon which on the 29th day of December in the same year, said State was formally admitted into the Confederated Union.

Texas abandoned her separate national existence and consented to become one of the Confederated Union to promote her welfare, insure domestic tranquility and secure more substantially the blessings of peace and liberty to her people. She was received into the confederacy with her own constitution, under the guarantee of the federal constitution and the compact of annexation, that she should enjoy these blessings.”

But, but… is that what actually happened? They promised, don’t ya know…

“The controlling majority of the Federal Government, under various pretenses and disguises, has so administered the same as to exclude the citizens of the Southern States, unless under odious and unconstitutional restrictions, from all the immense territory owned in common by all the States on the Pacific Ocean, for the avowed purpose of acquiring sufficient power in the common government to use it as a means of destroying the institutions of Texas and her sister slaveholding States.

By the disloyalty of the Northern States and their citizens and the imbecility of the Federal Government, infamous combinations of incendiaries and outlaws have been permitted in those States and the common territory of Kansas to trample upon the federal laws, to war upon the lives and property of Southern citizens in that territory, and finally, by violence and mob law, to usurp the possession of the same as exclusively the property of the Northern States.

The Federal Government, while but partially under the control of these our unnatural and sectional enemies, has for years almost entirely failed to protect the lives and property of the people of Texas against the Indian savages on our border, and more recently against the murderous forays of banditti from the neighboring territory of Mexico; and when our State government has expended large amounts for such purpose, the Federal Government has refuse reimbursement therefor, thus rendering our condition more insecure and harassing than it was during the existence of the Republic of Texas.

These and other wrongs we have patiently borne in the vain hope that a returning sense of justice and humanity would induce a different course of administration.”

Wow. It seems like the federal government was not holding up to its end of the bargain. These were the reasons. Like South Carolina, one has to read a number of paragraphs (again, paragraph after paragraph) until we eventually… eventually… eventually we find slavery mentioned. This is what they had to say about that issue.

“They demand the abolition of negro slavery throughout the confederacy, the recognition of political equality between the white and negro races, and avow their determination to press on their crusade against us, so long as a negro slave remains in these States.”

With that being stated, the declaration further discusses that causes of all the wrong doings that the federal government has engaged in. It’s quite a long list. Slavery is listed as one of the reasons. However it is not the sole and only reason.

“They have proclaimed, and at the ballot box sustained, the revolutionary doctrine that there is a 'higher law' than the constitution and laws of our Federal Union, and virtually that they will disregard their oaths and trample upon our rights.

They have for years past encouraged and sustained lawless organizations to steal our slaves and prevent their recapture, and have repeatedly murdered Southern citizens while lawfully seeking their rendition.

They have invaded Southern soil and murdered unoffending citizens, and through the press their leading men and a fanatical pulpit have bestowed praise upon the actors and assassins in these crimes, while the governors of several of their States have refused to deliver parties implicated and indicted for participation in such offenses, upon the legal demands of the States aggrieved.

They have, through the mails and hired emissaries, sent seditious pamphlets and papers among us to stir up servile insurrection and bring blood and carnage to our firesides.

They have sent hired emissaries among us to burn our towns and distribute arms and poison to our slaves for the same purpose.

They have impoverished the slave-holding States by unequal and partial legislation, thereby enriching themselves by draining our substance.

They have refused to vote appropriations for protecting Texas against ruthless savages, for the sole reason that she is a slave-holding State.

And, finally, by the combined sectional vote of the seventeen non-slave-holding States, they have elected as president and vice-president of the whole confederacy two men whose chief claims to such high positions are their approval of these long continued wrongs, and their pledges to continue them to the final consummation of these schemes for the ruin of the slave-holding States.

In view of these and many other facts, it is meet that our own views should be distinctly proclaimed.”

Again, the reasons list federal overreach. The Constitution clearly states what the federal government can and cannot do. The Bill of Rights clearly state that what is not explicitly stated in the Constitution is RESERVED for the states.

I can see that the slavery issue was one contributor to the decision to leave the Union, but in no way was it the only reason.

Virginia

Virginia also wrote up a Declaration of Causes as to why they left the union. They clearly were not happy with the federal government. In fact, they believed that the federal government has perverted and abused the Constitution. They felt that the federal government was not acting in the interests of the citizens of Virginia. It was the first thing that they described in their declaration;

“having declared that the powers granted under the said Constitution were derived from the people of the United States, and might be resumed whensoever the same should be perverted to their injury and oppression; and the Federal Government, having perverted said powers, not only to the injury of the people of Virginia, but to the oppression of the Southern Slaveholding States.”

This declaration was short and sweet. It did not ramble on like the other declarations. It just announced that they would not be part of a government that did not follow the Constitution, and then left.

Slavery or State’s Rights

The big disconnect is in the narrative.

Prior to 2008 every (well, nearly every) hardcover, paperback, and newspaper listed the reason(s) for the American Civil War as “State’s Rights”. They clearly explained that each state had their own individual issues, and chose to join the rush to get out of the United States based on those reasons. Collectively, of all the reasons listed, slavery was but one issue out of many.

After 2008, generally around 2012, it began to change. By 2013 to 2014 the changes were all in place. At least on the Internet they were. (Don’t believe me? Check out the Wikipedia history for entries regarding the American Civil War. In fact, in many cases all entries prior to 2013 vaporized. It is as if they never ever existed before. The only way that you can find them is to use the “wayback machine”.) Although, there is now evidence that even the wayback machine is subject to alteration of the past. Ugh!

In all cases, a multitude of causes were replaced by the most simplistic cause possible; Slavery. Its great simplicity was easily understood by simpletons and ignoramuses alike. This effort was supported, and served as a major platform for the radical BLM movement. While the “true believers” might like and accept the “narrative of choice”, the rest of us just scoff at it in silence. We know better than to argue with the village idiot.

This Should Not be a Surprise

When one group wants to separate from a larger body, there are always multiple reasons. There isn’t just one reason. There NEVER is only one reason. Certainly some reasons weigh more heavily in the minds of the populace than others. However, to simplify things as one big “catch all” is just insulting.  The primary cause of the American Civil War was not about slavery. It was due to a long list of grievances that were worsening over a period of years.

Don’t believe me? Consider other separation movements.

In Brexit, the discussions pro and con for leaving the Union persisted for months, if not years.  It is clear for anyone willing to take the time to read the actual discussions. According to the EU (European Union) the entire Brexit movement is a misguided selfish effort based on xenophobia.  When in reality, there were many reasons to leave.

Consider California and the Calexit effort there.

Californians have long wanted to leave the American Union. I cannot say I don’t blame them. They are completely out of step with the rest of the nation. This is neither good nor bad. It depends on your point of view. Obviously, they have grown in a different direction. They have a different set of values and do things differently than the rest of the country. They are big enough to maintain their own national status, and if it wasn’t for the precedent of the American Civil War, I am sure that they would probably be an independent nation today. In fact, if I had any say in the matter, I would let them leave and give them the best wishes bye bye.

I have MANY conservative, and liberal friends who feel the same way.

The idea of a huge power all-controlling central government is a very old and outdated concept. It has its roots in the movements of the 1920’s, but time has proven how inefficient it is. It only benefits the global elite, those with delusions of grandeur and the perpetually selfish (aka “busybodies”). Ask any Chinese person if they want to go back to the central policies of Mr. Mao. Ask any Russian if they think that the Soviet Union was a better place than modern Russia. Ask any escaping North Korean. Ask any one from Venezuela.

Why does California want to leave? Is it because of one particular reason? It is because of illegal immigration? Is because of related issues? As that is what it seems like if you read and watch the news. Or, is it due to multiple reasons?

Fact Checking the Causes

No, I am not talking about using “fact checking” websites, software, and paid “experts”. They are anything BUT impartial. Many, if not all of them, are propaganda arms funded by wealthy individuals who wish to maintain a political narrative so that they might benefit from it’s implementation.

In the case of the “causes for the American Civil War”, it is pretty easy to check. Not everything is ONLY on the Internet. There are textbooks. There are books on history written before President Obama came to be President. There are tombstones, carved in stone. There are Federal transcripts. There are state transcripts. There are books by the participants in the war on both sides.

One need not limit themselves to reading what is found on the Internet. (A one-sided narrative, this.) You can go down to a used bookstore and purchase an old history book. You can get speech and debate transcripts from the Federal government. You can go down to the state courthouses and get copies of their floor debates.

You aren’t limited to Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton to find out what caused the American civil war. You can find out what really caused it. For starters, I would suggest any one of the following books as a good starting point. Read what they have to say and then read what is on the Internet. In particular, take special note to the revision history of Wikipedia during the Obama administration. That will tell you all that you need to know.

Contemporaneous books;

• The South was Right! (Available HERE.)

A mixture of significant Vintage books that helps describe this time period;

• Great Epochs in American History
• Reviewing American History
• The American Heritage New Illustrated History of the United States Volume 8
• A History of the American People
• American History by Samuel Knox Wilson
• The Year of Decision 1846
• A Short History of the American People

An Opportunity

If anyone can find an (hardcover) American textbook dated before 2000 that states that the cause of the American Civil War was only due to slavery, I will post that information here, and offer a redaction in support of the new information.

So, you internet sleuths, go forth and prove me wrong. Go for it. Make money in the process too. It’s a “win – win”. It’s a “no brainer”. To quote a famous television character; “it’s easy-peasy lemon-squeezy!”

Key Conclusions

It is obvious that there were multiple benefits for redefinition of the narrative. It pushed the attention away from federal overreach and onto racial issues. It helped supply racist-narrative ammo to various progressive  groups. It enabled President Obama to greatly expand federal power and overreach to levels that were unheard of, even during the “overreach king” President Bush.

By distraction and redirection, the new narrative was able to squelch the Calexit movement, and take away any hope that they would ever be able to move against the all-powerful federal government. The truth be told; they wanted full control without any dissent. The murmurings of succession needed to be squelched immediately. As such, they actually were. The “fingerprints” are everywhere. President Obama kept the United States intact and prevented a breakup that would probably have a domino effect throughout the United States.

If California were to be broken up, the congressional voting block that is now democrat, would end up being diluted by republican voting districts. The break up gives power and a voice to the conservative counties in California. This needed to be squelched by President Obama.

At that time, Calexit was about breaking California into six states. The vast majority would have been “red states” (Republican and Conservative leaning).

Guest Comment

Civil War . . . How do civil wars happen? 

Two or more sides disagree on who runs the country. And they can't settle the question through elections because they don't even agree that elections are how you decide who's in charge. That's the basic issue here. Who decides who runs the country? When you hate each other but accept the election results, you have a country. When you stop accepting election results, you have a countdown to a civil war. 

The Mueller investigation is about removing President Trump from office and overturning the results of an election. We all know that. But it's not the first time they've done this. The first time a Republican president was elected this century, they said he didn't really win. The Supreme Court gave him the election. There's a pattern here. 

What do sure odds of the Democrats rejecting the next Republican president really mean? It means they don't accept the results of any election that they don't win. It means they don't believe that transfers of power in this country are determined by elections. 

That's a civil war. 

There's no shooting. At least not unless you count the attempt to kill a bunch of Republicans at a charity baseball game practice. But the Democrats have rejected our system of government. 

This isn't dissent. It's not disagreement. You can hate the other party. You can think they're the worst thing that ever happened to the country. But then you work harder to win the next election. When you consistently reject the results of elections that you don't win, what you want is a dictatorship. 

Your very own dictatorship. 

The only legitimate exercise of power in this country, according to Democrats, is its own. Whenever Republicans exercise power, it's inherently illegitimate. The Democrats lost Congress. They lost the White House. So what did they do? They began trying to run the country through Federal judges and bureaucrats. Every time that a Federal judge issues an order saying that the President of the United States can't scratch his own back without his say so, that's the civil war. 

Our system of government is based on the constitution, but that's not the system that runs this country. The Democrat's system is that any part of government that it runs gets total and unlimited power over the country. 

If the Democrats are in the White House, then the president can do anything. And I mean anything. He can have his own amnesty for illegal aliens. He can fine you for not having health insurance. His power is unlimited. He's a dictator. 

But when Republicans get into the White House, suddenly the President can't do anything. He isn't even allowed to undo the illegal alien amnesty that his predecessor illegally invented. A Democrat in the White House has 'discretion' to completely decide every aspect of immigration policy. A Republican doesn't even have the 'discretion' to reverse him. That's how the game is played That's how our country is run. Sad but true, although the left hasn't yet won that particular fight. 

When a Democrat is in the White House, states aren't even allowed to enforce immigration law. But when a Republican is in the White House, states can create their own immigration laws. 

Under Obama, a state wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom without asking permission. But under Trump, Jerry Brown can go around saying that California is an independent republic and sign treaties with other countries. 

The Constitution has something to say about that. 
Whether it's Federal or State, Executive, Legislative or Judiciary, the left moves power around to run the country. If it controls an institution, then that institution is suddenly the supreme power in the land. This is what I call a moving dictatorship. 

Donald Trump has caused the Shadow Government to come out of hiding: Professional government is a guild. Like medieval guilds. You can't serve in if you're not a member. If you haven't been indoctrinated into its arcane rituals. If you aren't in the club. And Trump isn't in the club. He brought in a bunch of people who aren't in the club with him. 

Now we're seeing what the pros do when amateurs try to walk in on them. They spy on them, they investigate them and they send them to jail. They use the tools of power to bring them down. 

That's not a free country. 

It's not a free country when FBI agents who support Hillary take out an 'insurance policy' against Trump winning the election. It's not a free country when Obama officials engage in massive unmasking of the opposition. It's not a free country when the media responds to the other guy winning by trying to ban the conservative media that supported him from social media. It's not a free country when all of the above collude together to overturn an election because the guy who wasn't supposed to win did. 

Have no doubt, we're in a civil war between conservative volunteer government and a leftist Democrat professional government. 

-Jack Minzy was in the Department of Education, at Eastern Michigan University.

Take Aways

• I contend that history is always being rewritten. As such, it is rewritten to meet certain objectives. The objectives typically have a political foundation.
• I have used the stark deviation in the “causes for the American Civil War” from pre and post-Obama presidency to illustrate this fact. This is because there is a very clear delineation from the printed word and the words available on the Internet. The narrative is starkly different.
• The reasons for war are NEVER simple. They are often quite complex.
• I further contend that to follow the simple narrative is to risk manipulation. The manipulation is designed to achieve various political objectives.
• In this particular issue, the narrative was used to hold the United States together under a controlling federal government and eliminate any thoughts given to succession.
• As such, the Obama presidency used this revised narrative to squelch the Calexit movement.
• If you really want to know what will happen if another civil war were to occur, then stop dreaming about it, and measure the pro’s and con’s. Read this most excellent article on the subject.
• In conclusion, President Obama did what President Lincoln could not; he prevented succession of states from the United States union. He did this without any bloodshed in battle during a period of rapid federal expansion.

FAQ

Q: What is Calexit?
A: Calexit is the movement for the state of California to leave the United States.

Q: Will there be a civil war if Calexit leaves the USA?
A: Probably not. However, I cannot forecast the future. There are numerous advantages that the federal government has by keeping California part of the union. There are also numerous disadvantages to the government as well.

Q: What was the cause of the civil war?
A: According to the Declarations of Causes given by the states, the primary reason was encroachment of the federal government on the rights of the states. They argued that they were protected by the tenth amendment to the Constitution which prevented the federal government from the behaviors and transgressions that it was involved in. The only outlier to this is the state of Mississippi, which stated that the primary reason was slavery.

Q: Why don’t schools teach the causes of the civil war?
A: They used to. The teaching of the causes for the American civil war was changed during the Obama presidency. It has since been replaced by a simple one-word narrative.

Q: What history books say that the causes of the American Civil War were due to State’s Rights?
A: All of them. (Oh, well all of them prior to the year 2008.)

Free Republic Posting

This post was introduced to Free Republic on 22JUL18, and can be viewed here. The comments are interesting.

I believe Salmon P Chase found a way to put the last nail in the coffin of secessionism.

Before 1869, secession of a state was considered a state right, After the Civil War, Chase refused to give Jeff Davis a “Treason” trial in fear he might prove secession constitutional.

So in 1869, Chase used the Texas v. White, 74 U.S. (7 Wall.) 700 (1869) as an excuse to deny states the right to leave the Union.

-posted on 7/22/2018, 8:01:21 AM by Ruy Dias de Bivar

• Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

  Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  More Posts about Life

  I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Stories that Inspired Me

  Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Articles & Links

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

Notes

1. Initial draft on 8MAR18.
2. Edited by request 15MAR18.
3. Edited by request 16MAR18.
4. Edited by request 17MAR18.
5. Edited by request 18MAR18.
6. Edited by request 20APR18.
7. Readied for the internet 24APR18.
8. SEO review 8MAY18.
9. Added guest comment 13JUL18.