The Civil War still matters, even with the passage of more than 150 years since Robert E. Lee's surrender to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in April, 1865. Over 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died during the conflict, giving their last full measure of devotion in a war whose cost in lives and property was unimaginable at the start.
So why does the war still matter?
Civil War historian Shelby Foote said that before the war, our representatives referred to the country as "these" United States, but afterwards it became "the" United States. The war established who we are as a nation, and what we are. Likewise, it established what we are not. Millions of immigrants flooded to this nation based upon the values that America nurtures and embodies. Freedom. Opportunity. Self-determination. Self-sufficiency. They still come.
Slavery was eradicated, and the South's economic model of a slave economy was forever destroyed. President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, a 273-word masterpiece that ranks as one of the nation's most important speeches, referred to the "unfinished work" that would be needed to guarantee "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from this earth." That work remains unfinished with regard to race relations even though significant progress has been made. Our journey as a nation and as a people continues, albeit imperfectly and sometimes slowly.
At the brutal war's end, Lincoln and Grant extended generous surrender terms to the defeated Confederates-an important first step in unifying the nation. Years later, the U.S. was magnanimous toward the defeated Axis nations at the conclusion of World War II, very much akin to the standard established at the end of the Civil War. Thus, Germany and Japan became important American allies as a result.
There is still great interest in the war, from the well-preserved battlefields to the many fascinating figures of the war. Leaders and commanders such as Lincoln, Lee, Grant, Jackson, Sherman, and Forrest are still written and read about widely. Clara Barton and Belle Boyd are also appealing characters of that era. Such Civil War topics as infantry tactics, weaponry, logistics, communications, and medicine are still studied by historians and military professionals.
Since 1865, the nation has freed the slaves, produced the American Century, won two world wars, birthed the Greatest Generation, cured diseases, become the shining city upon a hill, and landed men on the moon. All of it is linked to the sacrifice of those 600,000 men in bringing America to the place it now occupies.
Yes, the Civil War still matters.
And always will.
Gerald Gillis is a writer and speaker living in Atlanta. He is the author of the Civil War historical novel "That Deadly Space." He also authored the award-winning novels "Dare Not Blink" and "Shall Never See So Much." Gerald is available for event speaking and booksigning appearances. Contact him at his website http://www.geraldgillis.com.
By Gerald Gillis
Article Source: Does America's Civil War Still Matter?
So why does the war still matter?
Civil War historian Shelby Foote said that before the war, our representatives referred to the country as "these" United States, but afterwards it became "the" United States. The war established who we are as a nation, and what we are. Likewise, it established what we are not. Millions of immigrants flooded to this nation based upon the values that America nurtures and embodies. Freedom. Opportunity. Self-determination. Self-sufficiency. They still come.
Slavery was eradicated, and the South's economic model of a slave economy was forever destroyed. President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, a 273-word masterpiece that ranks as one of the nation's most important speeches, referred to the "unfinished work" that would be needed to guarantee "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from this earth." That work remains unfinished with regard to race relations even though significant progress has been made. Our journey as a nation and as a people continues, albeit imperfectly and sometimes slowly.
At the brutal war's end, Lincoln and Grant extended generous surrender terms to the defeated Confederates-an important first step in unifying the nation. Years later, the U.S. was magnanimous toward the defeated Axis nations at the conclusion of World War II, very much akin to the standard established at the end of the Civil War. Thus, Germany and Japan became important American allies as a result.
There is still great interest in the war, from the well-preserved battlefields to the many fascinating figures of the war. Leaders and commanders such as Lincoln, Lee, Grant, Jackson, Sherman, and Forrest are still written and read about widely. Clara Barton and Belle Boyd are also appealing characters of that era. Such Civil War topics as infantry tactics, weaponry, logistics, communications, and medicine are still studied by historians and military professionals.
Since 1865, the nation has freed the slaves, produced the American Century, won two world wars, birthed the Greatest Generation, cured diseases, become the shining city upon a hill, and landed men on the moon. All of it is linked to the sacrifice of those 600,000 men in bringing America to the place it now occupies.
Yes, the Civil War still matters.
And always will.
Gerald Gillis is a writer and speaker living in Atlanta. He is the author of the Civil War historical novel "That Deadly Space." He also authored the award-winning novels "Dare Not Blink" and "Shall Never See So Much." Gerald is available for event speaking and booksigning appearances. Contact him at his website http://www.geraldgillis.com.
By Gerald Gillis
Article Source: Does America's Civil War Still Matter?
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