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["Melody O." <melody AT crecon.com>]

At 04:07 PM 5/18/05 -0700, you wrote:
>At 5/18/2005, you wrote:
>>>"Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present
>>>controls the past." (_1984_ by George Orwell)
>>
>>I don't remember the context of that statement. Taken at face value, it 
>>says that the past and the future are controlled by those currently in 
>>power. I don't find that compelling. History books are rarely rewritten 
>>with each power term. The future is only partially predictable from the 
>>present. As the actions of the current US president have shown, we can no 
>>longer depend on historical actions by a major political party to predict 
>>the immediate or near future actions by that party.
>
>History is easily manipulated by those who wish it were something 
>else.  Witness the transformation of the Civil War from a war to remove the 
>stain of human bondage.  

The Civil War stories are good examples of history conforming to the
winner's perspective.

The Civil War had little to do with abolishing slavery and much to do with
power to keep the Union united.  

The Confederate States wanted the northern Union States to leave them alone
to do their trading with other places and to produce their products the way
they wanted without Federal Government intervention (which was upholded
until then by the 10th Amendment).  

Abraham Lincoln wanted the divisive problems of slavery to go away whether
slavery was abolished or not.  The Confederates felt threatened when Abe
sent provisions to Fort Sumpter; they thought he was sending reenforcements
as well as food.  The Confederates fired on Fort Sumpter and the rest is
history...and some of it is published correctly, but most isn't.  That
certainly isn't the story I got when learning of the Civil War in Utah and
Wyoming in public school.  Even the name of the war is deceptive.  The
South obviously didn't want to overthrow the government and take control,
it simply wanted to secede from the Union.

As I was reading in my great-aunt Cora's textbook about the Civil War I
read a passage that would *never* make it in today's history books:
"Why the South Seceded.  Ponderous volumes have been written on both sides
of the question whether the South had a right to secede from the Union.
Every people cherishes the "sacred right" of revolution against a
government which it has heretofore acknowledged if it is convinced that
that government has become intolerable oppressive."

Those are the types of stories that were in the old textbooks; new
textbooks can't even compete.

Best wishes,
Melody