It is remarkable that the Constitution was little trusted or admired by the wisest and most illustrious of its founders, and that its severest and most desponding critics were those whom Americans revere as the fathers of their country. FULL ARTICLE by Lord Acton
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/12325/american-federalism-and-the-civil-war/
American Federalism and the Civil War
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Wow! Impressive and insightful. The more I learn, the less impressed I am with Jefferson.
Yes, interesting. The more I learn about the Civil War, the more I realize I really don’t know anything about it.
Read Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men if you want to learn more; it’s a fantastic book on the topic from a libertarian perspective.
Lord Acton wrote to Robert E. Lee after the war and, in one correspondence, said the following:
“Therefore I believed that you were fighting the battles of our liberty, our progress and our civilization; and I mourn for the stake which was lost at Richmond more deeply than I rejoice over that which was saved at Waterloo.”
Jefferson was very cognizant of the “problem” of slavery, even saying:
“But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.”
Knowing that it was impossible to maintain the institution of slavery but at the same time acknowledging the difficulty in bringing it to an “amicable” end for all parties involved.
Just my thoughts,
SOD
This seriously makes the claim that poverty, inequality and lack of educational access didn’t exist before the civil war? Seems like Acton spent a lot of effort writing a thoughtful article based entirely upon a ficticious view of ante-bellum America. You can build a mighty tower, but if it is built upon a bed of sand, it is worth nothing.
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