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In reply to the discussion: What is Southern Heritage? [View all]FourScore
(9,704 posts)you are trying to convey here on DU, Uncle Joe.
I think non-Southerners have a hard time understanding the significance the Civil War has had on the people of the South and their psyche, even today.
Just tonight, I was listening to a program about the Civil War. It mentioned that the North had 30 million people at the start of the war, while the South had only 9 million, of which 4 million were slaves. A fact I did not know.
It is exceedingly difficult to discuss the war (or as my Mama would pronounce it: the Wowa) from the Southern perspective with those who are not southern. It immediately digresses into a discussion on slavery and seccession. Preconceived notions and stereotypes of Southerners fill the heads of those who do not understand the South, which merely tarnishes the discussion.
No southerner today believes in the "cause" - our forefathers were simply wrong. Tales of the Civil War, however, and the long-term effect it had on the people of the South (both black and white) have trickled down for generations in the South. The North just "moved on". But the South...it had to rebuild and reconstruct. It lasted for generations.
Southern pride is a mixed bag, as is any form of patriotism. it can be a beautiful thing, but must also be kept in check. Still, I gotta say, I am a Southerner, and I am proud of it.
Thanks for the thread, Uncle Joe!
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