In this open letter to Horace Greeley, President Lincoln maintained that the central cause of the Civil War was to keep the country united and not to free the slaves.
Greeley was a reformer, abolitionist, and editor of the New York
Tribune, an influential newspaper in the North. After South Carolina
seceded from the Union, Lincoln's primary goal was to preserve the Union. The war was never about human rights or compassion.
And why was preserving the union so critical? The North could not
survive without the South. The South had good weather, a long growing
season, sea ports, and industry. Europe was buying products from the
South and making them prosperous. The North was envious and wanted to
punish the South for pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. The North
had shipbuilding, gun manufacturing, furniture factories, and little
else. They depended on the South for clothes, lumber, and food.
During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln's tariffs significantly impacted the cotton industry, particularly in the South. While
Lincoln's administration was generally supportive of tariffs to protect
domestic industries, the impact on the Southern cotton economy was
mixed and contributed to tensions leading to the Civil War.
Specifically, the Morrill Tariff of 1861, (Justin S. Morrill, Republican Congressman and Senator from Vermont, was
the person most responsible for both the tariff and internal revenue
measures enacted during the American Civil War) passed shortly before Lincoln's inauguration, raised tariffs on imported goods. This
move, while intended to boost the Northern economy and protect
industries like textiles, had a detrimental effect on the Southern
cotton industry. The South, which heavily relied on cotton exports, found its goods facing higher tariffs in international markets.
Furthermore,
the blockade implemented during the Civil War significantly disrupted
Southern cotton exports, further crippling the industry. The
South's reliance on foreign markets for manufactured goods and the
higher tariffs imposed by the Union on imported goods further strained
the Southern economy.
In
essence, while Lincoln's tariff policies were driven by a desire to
support the Northern industrial base and the overall national economy,
they had a particularly negative impact on the Southern cotton industry,
exacerbating the economic disparities between the North and South and
contributing to the tensions that led to the Civil War.
With Lincoln’s tariffs America lost control of the cotton industry. Many a black man moved from slavery to starvation.
Slavery was forbidden in the country northwest of the Ohio River by what is called the ordinance of 1787. In 1820 the North endeavored to overturn this wise and successful policy
and demanded that the State of Missouri should not be admitted into the
Union unless she first prohibited slavery within her limits by her
constitution. After a bitter and protracted struggle the North was
defeated in her special object, but her policy and position led to the
adoption of a section in the law for the admission of Missouri,
prohibiting slavery in all that portion of the territory acquired from
France lying North of 36 [degrees] 30 [minutes] north latitude and
outside of Missouri.
The "purchase of Liberia" refers to the
acquisition of land in West Africa by the American Colonization Society
(ACS) in 1821 to establish a colony for freed slaves and freeborn Black
people from the United States. The
ACS, a group of white elites, sought to create a new homeland where
these individuals could find more freedom and opportunity than they did
in the U.S. The initial purchase was of land at Cape Mesurado, which
became the site of the first settlement, Monrovia. Liberia declared independence on July 26, 1847, which the U.S. did not recognize until February 5, 1862.
Between 1820 and 1864, approximately 11,000 to 12,000 free Black people and those formerly enslaved emigrated to Liberia. This
includes both free Black people and those who were granted freedom by
the American Colonization Society (ACS) in exchange for their emigration
to Liberia. The
ACS, with support from the US Treasury, organized and funded this
emigration, with the goal of establishing a colony in West Africa.
Lincoln
provoked a needless war with the South by trying to force the South to
give up their Rights to slave labor. He did not punish the Northern
slave owners, many of which sent their African slaves to fight. Slavery
would have ended peacefully when it was no longer profitable. The Civil War was never about human rights or compassion. It was all about which political party would control America.
The Civil War was a tragedy. Since the North owned slaves, the South fought to be left alone. The vast majority of the men who fought for the Confederacy
were not slaveholders. The Confederate Flag represents Southern culture and heritage. It is not racist to defend your home. Understanding history doesn't mean you accept or agree but that you acknowledge there are two sides to the story. You don't re-write history to accommodate political correctness. Removing Confederate monuments does do not change history.
For
many free blacks and slaves, the harshest abuse actually came from the
northern Yankee invaders. Read the book “When the Yankees Come: Former
Slaves Remember Sherman’s Invasion.” Former slaves remember how the
“malevolent” Yankee army raped black women, burned their homes and left
them starving along side the white people. Union soldiers were known for
even torturing faithful southern blacks.
Over
600,000 white men gave their lives to free the black man. That's a
historical fact that Democrats conveniently forget. It was Democrats
that wanted slavery. It was Democrats that created the KKK. It was Democrats that demanded segregation. It was Democrats that stood in the
doorway of schools. It was Democrats that denied Black Americans their
civil rights. It was Democrats that demanded separate water fountains
and restrooms for "white" and "colored." It was Democrats that denied
Blacks access to restaurants and hotels. It was Democrats that moved the Black man from the cotton plantation to the government welfare
plantation and destroyed Black families. With Democrats it has never been about human rights or compassion.
It
was during Reconstruction after the Civil War that a century-long era of racial hierarchy,
lynching, white supremacy, and bigotry was established by Democrats—an era from which
this nation still struggles. Most Americans know very little about the legacy of the Democrats.
In
the 250 year history of America, she has made many mistakes, but she
always tried to correct those mistakes, sometimes with remedies that
only made things worse. Here we are in the year 2025. There is not a
single white American alive today who ever owned slaves. There is not a
single black American alive today who was a slave. Every Black American stays in America because of the freedom and benefits America affords. You do not see a mass migration to Africa.
If
America needs to pay reparations to anyone, it's the American Indian.
The US government made over 400 treaties with various Indian tribes and
violated every one of them. Manifest Destiny was a
19th-century belief in the United States that the country was destined
by God to expand its territory and spread its democratic and capitalist
ideals across the entire North American continent. This
ideology, while fueled by a sense of national pride and a desire for
land, also led to the displacement and subjugation of Native Americans
and the intensification of sectional tensions over slavery.
How did "destined by God" play a part in America history? Americans used to study the Bible and they knew about God's Promise to Abraham. They believed they were doing God's will. Without the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob/Israel and their descendants, there would be no Christianity,
and without Christianity there would be no Western Civilization, no America.
Every July 4th, America celebrates American culture which is a
dynamic and diverse mix of customs, traditions, and values that reflect
the nation's history, population, and geographic diversity. It's characterized by a strong emphasis on individualism, a belief in equality and opportunity, and a future-oriented outlook. Additionally, American culture is known for its love of privacy, respect for hard work, and a commitment to timeliness.
Americans value individualism, equality, diversity, unity, liberty, and self-government within the framework of a Constitutional Republic.
God-fearing Christians, and freedom-loving Americans must be involved in civic and political activities for the simple reason
that if Christians disdain politics and avoid any and all political
activity, then who does that leave to enter the halls of our city/town, our school board, county commission, etc., and control our life?
The
Founders of the United States of America knew enough about the Bible to
design a National Flag that represents America's Christian heritage.
Our
Flag has 13 stripes of red and white that represent the shed blood of
Jesus Christ and the purity of God's word. The stripes also represent
the original 13 colonies and the 13 tribes of Israel (the tribe of
Joseph was divided into the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh - total
13) with a blue field representing God's Divine Law, and stars that
represent the 50 States, (50 being the number of Divine government) and
the stars God promised Abraham. "In blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven. ~ Genesis 22:17. And we call her Old Glory!
Bootcamp Graduation February 1959
The United States Marine Corps also celebrates 250 years of service to America. I enlisted the Marine Corps in 1958 and served on active duty until 1962.
From 1962 to 1964 I was on Ready Reserve. I swore an oath which I still
stand by today. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The Marines do the difficult immediately, the impossible just takes a while longer.
(Note I capitalized three words to make a point)
Oath of Enlistment
I, Michael L. Farris, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, FOREIGN and
DOMESTIC; that I will bear true faith and allegiance
to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the PRESIDENT of the
United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me,
according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So
help me God. (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording
first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).
If our politicians would stand by their oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, America would be better off.
The Oath of Office for
U.S. public officers and employees is a solemn affirmation that they
will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against
all enemies, foreign and domestic; that they will bear true faith and allegiance to it; that they take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that they will well and faithfully discharge the duties of their office.
