----- Original Message -----
From: "COUNTRY.GARDENS" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history"
<[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 11:15 AM
Subject: Re: Gods and Generals


Please explain to me what was the psychology that motivated so many
 Southerners who did not and never had owned a single slave to "give their
 all", as well as their lives, fighting for the continuation of slavery.
 Please don't say that it was because they were thinking and hoping and
 praying that someday, THEY TOO, might be lucky enough to own a
 slave......what with this being the Land of Opportunity and all!
 By the way, what was the percentage of Southern soldiers who did own
slaves?
 What was the percentage of Southern soldiers that did not own them?
 Miz Gardens
 ----- Original Message -----
 From: "paul finkelman" <[log in to unmask]>
 To: <[log in to unmask]>
 Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 11:01 AM
Subject: Re: Gods and Generals
Anne of course has it right; the point of secession was to preserve slavery
and
 protect it from Lincoln, who was a theat to slavery, although very very
much
 a long-range threat, until of course secession allowed him the military
option for emancipation.
 Paul Finkelman

Paul Finkelman
 Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law
 University of Tulsa College of Law
 3120 East 4th Place
Tulsa, OK  74104-3189
phone 918-631-3706
Fax   918-631-2194
 e-mail:   [log in to unmask]
  Anne Pemberton wrote:
 Funny you should mention the Clinton's. While you were depriving yourself
 of your cell phone I was watching a program on the Clinton presidency, a
 rebroadcast of a class of U or Arkansas, which is run on Friday nights
 on CSpan 2. Prior to the lesson, I was on the http://www.civilwarhome.com
 site, checking out the State's Rights explanation under Civil War
 Potpourri
 on http://www.civilwarhome.com/statesrights.htm which pretty much
confirms
 that the term State's Rights was merely a smoke screen for the intent to
 spread slavery when the ethics of slavery were under scrutiny. The new
 government of the Confederacy did not provide the "States Rights" that
 the south wanted from the US. So what was the point?
                                 Anne

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