During the years prior to the

outbreak of hostilities, the Southern ruling class feared the loss of

their power and prestige by the overpowering economic and moral might

of the Northern states. The rise of the Northern abolitionist movement

struck deep into the heart of the Southern social order. The Southern

elite would ultimately go to war to preserve that social order and their

ill-gained wealth and power.

The Southern United States

basically had three social classes the aristocracy, the enslaved blacks,

and the ignorant poor whites. The greatest threat to the ruling class

was the possibility of the poor white man realizing his lot in life would

improve immensely if he and the slaves joined together to demand economic

justice. The poor whites (the majority of white Southerners) were poor

simply due the fact that the aristocracy did not need their services or

labor. The enslaved blacks provided such services and labor virtually

free.

When the demands of the abolitionists

became overwhelming and the end of slavery seemed inevitable, the Southern

elite became desperate and surmised that only war would preserve their

cherished way of life. The question was how could the elite convince the

poor ignorant Southern white man that going to war was the righteous path

to follow.

The solution was deceptively

simple. By playing on the ignorance and prejudices of the poor white,

the aristocracy convinced them that by freeing the slaves he (the poor

white man) would be no better than a freed black man. They were told that

the blacks could purchase their own land and be allowed to compete freely

in the market place for jobs and so forth.

The ruling white class made

a pact with the poor whites. They agreed that the poor whites would take

up arms against the North and no matter the outcome, the aristocracy would

always treat the poor whites with respect and dignity and surely as a

better class of people than the blacks. (Some of you more mature readers

may remember years ago when poor white folks occasionally said "I

may be poor, but I'm proud.") This somewhat tacit agreement evolved

into the Jim Crow South many decades later.

Is this a Southern heritage

one should be proud of a heritage of subjugation and of one class of whites

taking advantage of their ignorant brothers? Seems more like a shameful

heritage that should be tossed into the dustbin of history rather than

to be glorified. That poor ignorant Southern Rebel was not put into his

earthly grave by a Yankee bullet. No, his life was sacrificed on the altar

of greed and power by the men that occupied those lily-while mansions.

Indeed, this is a shameful heritage.

Trebor Zerpsed

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