Steppingstones To The Civil War
Slavery Integral to Each
by
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Slavery and the Civil War—what is the connection, and does it matter? From the view point of the book in your hands, the connection is absolute and it matters greatly. Steppingstones to the Civil War invites readers to revisit American history, especially those believing that the devastation costing 600,000 lives (think on that figure) and shaking to the foundations the American experiment was at root about states’ rights, economy and Northern imperialism and only incidentally about slavery. As the chapters on John Calhoun, Alexander Stephens, Jefferson Davis and the Commissioners from the first seven seceding states (marshalling their strongest arguments to convince other slaveholding states to join the Confederacy) attest, Southern politicians, before the war broke out, proudly and defiantly agreed that the bone of contention, the states’ right, the institution worth fighting over even if it meant the dissolution of the Union, was slavery and the racial and economic order it established and perpetuated.
As soon as the fighting was over, however, in order to salvage Southern honor and effect reconciliation between once-warring whites, a different story was constructed:
the cause though lost was in fact noble since primarily about independence, states rights, and justifiable protection of hearth and home against invasion. This denial of slavery’s centrality not only distorts history but, for those whose ancestors were so long abused, literally adds insult to injury. If there is ever to be genuine healing between the races in this country, it will begin with facing and accepting painful truth, which alone can set us free.
The cancer infecting the vitals of America, compromised into its very founding in order that there could be an America, despite inspiring efforts of a brave minority over many decades was virulent enough to resist every effort short of the radical surgery of civil war. The tragic story can yet set us free, if with courage we face the truth of it.
“Steppings to the Civil War is a skillful synthesis of evidence and scholarship on the primacy of the slavery issue as the root of the sectional conflict that led to secession and Civil War. It provides a much-needed corrective to persistent popular myths that seek to gloss over the importance of slavery.”
(James M. McPherson, author of multiple books on the American Civil War, including the Pulitzer prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom)
“The Civil War stands as the great American tragedy. It is important that today’s Americans understand it, free of romance and myth: how and why did it happen? Finn’s book thoughtfully and authentically answers these questions. It is a fine book.”
(Alan T. Nolan, noted Civil War historian whose The Iron Brigade pioneered the modern regimental history. His other books include Lee Considered and “Rally, Once Again”: Selected Civil War Writings of Alan T. Nolan.)
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About the Book
Slavery and the Civil War—what is the connection, and does it matter? From the view point of the book in your hands, the connection is absolute and it matters greatly. Steppingstones to the Civil War invites readers to revisit American history, especially those believing that the devastation costing 600,000 lives (think on that figure) and shaking to the foundations the American experiment was at root about states’ rights, economy and Northern imperialism and only incidentally about slavery. As the chapters on John Calhoun, Alexander Stephens, Jefferson Davis and the Commissioners from the first seven seceding states (marshalling their strongest arguments to convince other slaveholding states to join the Confederacy) attest, Southern politicians, before the war broke out, proudly and defiantly agreed that the bone of contention, the states’ right, the institution worth fighting over even if it meant the dissolution of the Union, was slavery and the racial and economic order it established and perpetuated.
As soon as the fighting was over, however, in order to salvage Southern honor and effect reconciliation between once-warring whites, a different story was constructed:
the cause though lost was in fact noble since primarily about independence, states rights, and justifiable protection of hearth and home against invasion. This denial of slavery’s centrality not only distorts history but, for those whose ancestors were so long abused, literally adds insult to injury. If there is ever to be genuine healing between the races in this country, it will begin with facing and accepting painful truth, which alone can set us free.
The cancer infecting the vitals of America, compromised into its very founding in order that there could be an America, despite inspiring efforts of a brave minority over many decades was virulent enough to resist every effort short of the radical surgery of civil war. The tragic story can yet set us free, if with courage we face the truth of it.
About the Author
Finn spent ten years in the Society of Jesus after graduating from high school in Cincinnati. With degrees in literature and psychology from Chicago’s Loyola University, he taught high school and then became a mental health counselor before relocating to Virginia with his wife in 1979. He lives near Fincastle with his family and commutes to nearby Salem where he is a licensed professional counselor.
Among Finn’s writings is the internationally-known poem “Please Hear What Fm Not Saying.” His published works, all of which can be obtained through his website (www.poetrybycharlescfinn.com) or e-mail address (mailto:charlesfinn@ntelos.net), include the following:
Circle of Grace: In Praise of Months and Seasons
Natural Highs: An Invitation to Wonder
For the Mystically Inclined
Contemplatively Sweet: Slow-Down Poems to Ponder
Earthtalks: Conjectures on the Spirit Journey
The Elixir ofAir: Unguessed GU1’s ofAddiction
Deep Joy, Steep Challenge: 365 Poems on Parenting
Earth Brother Jesus: Musings Free of Dogma
Embraced It Will Serve You: Encounters with Death
If a Child, Why Not a Cosmos: Lovesongs to Earth and Evolution
Fuel for War: Patriotic Entrancement
Earth Pleasures: Pets, Plants, Trees and Rain
Ithaca is the Journey: A Personal Odyssey
All of Finn’s writings relate to the spirit journey. His own has been grounded in Catholicism and nourished by Jesuit, Taoist, Native American, Creation-Centered, and Quaker spiritualities.