Jerry Summers
Many individuals would like to obliterate the history of the Civil War that divided our country between the North and South that resulted in over 600,000 deaths of soldiers from all sections of our country. Others would like to continue their version of the topics of discrimination, race, etc. as America continues to deal with divisiveness that once again threatens to destroy our nation in 2024. Activists on both ends of the political spectrum, progressive on the left and conservative on the right continue to throw the gasoline of hate into the democracy and freedoms that we still enjoy and the majority of Americans openly express opinions that we are rapidly losing the privileges that so many men (and women, etc.) have fought and died to preserve.
A recognized author and mountain historian, Wally Avett, from the Great Smoky Mountains is the author of four published books and a collection of columns that he has written for the Cherokee Scoop, the weekly newspaper at Murphy, North Carolina. One of those books, “Murder in Caney Fork,” is under consideration by a national film company for a movie project.
He can be reached at Wallyavett@gmail.com or through his publisher. In “More Real Mountain Tales” (Staub Publishing 2019). He penned the following simple facts and historical conclusions that are often overstated or distorted by individuals or groups that wish to push their point of view and further contribute to the division of American citizens:
“Civil War- Why and How
The War Between the States was a perfect storm of money, race and politics. On both sides hundreds of thousands of men died, all Americans.
The South was immersed in raising cotton to be sold for the hungry mills in Britain and New England, which made the fiber into cloth. Two Northern investors had provided southern cotton farmers with a mechanical way to comb the seeds out of raw cotton called the gin and steam engine power which kept the gins working day or night rain or shine.
So suddenly in the early 1800s, cotton became extremely profitable and slave labor was key. But slavery was immoral despite the fact that black Africans were sold by other Africans, often with Arab assistance. It was illegal up north and there were active abolition groups who helped smuggle runaway slaves to freedom in the north.
Fearing nationwide abolition of slavery, South Carolina left the union in early 1861 and invited other southern states to join her. The stated reason- opposition to slavery by the non slaveholding states.”
The above explanations may seem too simple for established and/or self asserted scholars but to some they give us a balanced perspective of the four year tragedy that still haunts our nation.
(PS: The remaining issues of “The Lost Cause” further complicates the discussion!)
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You can reach Jerry Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com