What the Civil War Taught the U.S. - Historum

Nemo Neem · November 28th, 2009, 07:37 PM

The big lesson of the Civil War, in my opinion, was that big government is the answer to all our problems, but I believe that is not the case. The Democrats, especially the Jacksonians like Franklin Pierce, believed that a large federal government is dangerous. It is not the government's duty to tell its people what to do. Unfortunately, we believe that: government will solve our problems, and look where it has gotten us.

Fire_Fingers · November 28th, 2009, 09:30 PM

What the Civil War taught the US is that when it comes to government (and everything else in life) a delicate balance must be kept between the states and the feds.

**NewModelSoldier** · November 28th, 2009, 09:45 PM

Perhaps if the particular states right the southern states were fighting and dying to protect was one of nobility, or even, something of an understandable preference, I'd be with them.

**Lucius** · November 29th, 2009, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo Neem

The big lesson of the Civil War, in my opinion, was that big government is the answer to all our problems, but I believe that is not the case.

Well, the southern states seceded because the northern states were not co-operating in returning escaped slaves to their rightful owners. The South wanted the federal government to butt into the affairs of the northern states and force them to participate indirectly in slavery.

So, it was the refusal of the federal government to intervene in the affairs of the free states that caused the Civil War. Big government refused to solve the South's problem.

So yes, the big lesson of the Civil War was that big government is the answer to all our problems in the sense that the South wanted big government to solve their problems, but big government refused to do so.

**tjadams** · November 29th, 2009, 05:50 AM

Southern states wanted an honest & equal opportunity, as Americans, to move into any new states to be formed. By having the federal government attempt or even block slavery, which wasn't illegal-it was in the south and north-was big federal government cutting off at the knee any future southern growth as citizens. Slavery was business to the owners, south and north, and if one's government personally stops the growth of your business, it becomes personal then.

pinguin · November 29th, 2009, 07:20 AM

Perhaps the saddest lesson is that slavery doesn't pay. If the U.S. had stopped slavery at independence times, all that bloody war could have been prevented.

**Comet** · November 29th, 2009, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinguin

Perhaps the saddest lesson is that slavery doesn't pay. If the U.S. had stopped slavery at independence times, all that bloody war could have been prevented.

I'm not so sure stopping slavery would have prevented the war. The issue of slavery was a secondary issue of the war. I would say that if Continental Congress had resolved the issue of states rights versus the federal government, they may have avoided war. Differences in economy, culture, etc. also played a large part in the division of North and South.

Although, who knows. War may have happened regardless.

**tjadams** · November 29th, 2009, 07:31 AM

Or even if the US government had purchased all the slaves in America and emancipated them, it would have been cheaper to do that and spare all 600,000 deaths and suffering.

pinguin · November 29th, 2009, 07:37 AM

Still, it would have been cheaper if the Founding Fathers have emancipated them first.

**tjadams** · November 29th, 2009, 07:42 AM

One has to realistically ask, "Do I sacrifice my family for people I don't know?"
What person would willingly & purposely cultivate a secure existence for their family only to totally throw it away for the sake of precedent? I would love to see what person steps up and be the first.
(Of course I'm talking about a man with children, not an unmarried wealthy person who inherited them & then set them free)