How did Lincoln "force war" when the South fired the first shot at Fort Sumpter? The sad fact is Lincoln tried to compromise to no avail. It was a sad deal all the way around and Lincoln was in a terrible spot. I don't think anyone in this debate, if you can call it that, is an idiot. I think it is still a heated argument that has people on the defensive. The same thing happened in 1860. People held allegiance to their own state's convictions whether they agreed with the position or not. People took up arms out of loyalty. Lee stated he did. The war turned brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. We lost a generation of brave men young and old. I do not hold grudge on anyone and do not consider people living in any part of the country as different or enemies. People are people wherever you go. We are all Americans except perhaps democrats. This thread has perhaps taken an ominous turn because of the bitterness. We all have opinions about Booth. Some consider him a hero. Some consider him a terribly misguided man. The fact is the South did not benefit from his actions. Johnson was not a generous man in Reconstruction. The South suffered needlessly. Nathan Bedford Forest formed the KKK to be something altogether different than it turned out to be and he distanced himself from it. The South's defeat did not end the bitterness and it has taken many decades for America to contend with the aftermath. Today we face a different challenge as Americans that promises to tear the nation apart. We have been invaded by malevolent people invited by malevolent people that pulled off the greatest Coup in the history of America. We could very well loose this great nation and all end up surfs if we cannot put our differences aside and come together as Americans.
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