I’m writing this book (one blog post at a time) to discover the reasons why the United States never became truly united again after the Civil War. Of course, the Civil War ended in 1865, but the deep divisions of our country remained and never healed. In fact, they are growing deeper and wider day by day.
Most of us were taught an oversimplified, sanitized version of Colonial America that begins with Jamestown and Plymouth Rock. What if we dig deeper, however, and examine the political and religious forces in Europe at the time of Columbus? Furthermore, let’s retrace the most significant developments of the Spanish explorers, the beginning of the Caribbean slave trade, the conquistadors, the native tribes and civilizations, and the tremendous clash of cultures that shaped the New World. If we uncover the 128 years between the voyage of the Santa Maria and the Mayflower, perhaps we can gain insight into the tides of history that washed ashore with the Pilgrims.
From there, we must descend the dark, bloody steps of genocide and slavery that led to the Civil War. This book isn’t an attempt at a comprehensive history of early America. Many books have been written about the founding fathers, the War of Independence, The Trail of Tears, the polarized economies of the industrial North versus the slave plantations of the South, and the gruesome Civil War battles that followed. Rather than a voluminous history, let’s follow the great drumbeats, the very pulse of history, the causal connections that grew and grew and finally exploded into the cataclysmic violence of the Great Divide, aka, the Civil War. Further, if we examine the Compromise of 1877, the end of Reconstruction, we may be able to discover why the Civil War never really ended.
The philosopher, George Santayana, famously wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We, as a nation, live in denial of our brutal history. We embrace anti-intellectualism, hyper-patriotism, and blind faith, so we don’t have to confront the truth. We celebrate Columbus Day with flag-waving parades and picnics, while Andrew Jackson still proudly poses on our $20 bills. We love our edited, fairy tale version of history. But Santayana was right. If we refuse to remember the past, we will continue to repeat it over and over and over again.
It is my hope that many readers will share this journey with open hearts and minds. For how can we change the grim realities of the present, if we don’t understand the historical forces of the past that led us here? By owning up to the horrors of the past, perhaps we can finally see the present as it really is, and in the harsh light of truth, liberate ourselves from the long nightmare of mass illusion.
- Since this book in progress will examine the great expanse of time between the first voyage of Columbus in 1492 and the end of reconstruction in the South in 1877 (385 years), this long overview will be divided into a series of books.
Book 1– Columbus and the Holy Cross. Each book in the series will be presented in three formats: print book, e-book, and audiobook. - Further books in the series to be announced. This is a voyage of discovery. If you’ve ever wondered how the United States became the Divided States or why this country is so racist, this blog is written for you. Let’s blow up the simplified historical narratives, (the sentimental first Thanksgiving story — widely believed, seldom probed–being just one of many examples). Let’s shatter the myths and discover the real seldom told stories behind them.
- High school history, for many of us, was tedious to the point of torture, an endless brain cram of useless dates and encapsulated facts. The emotional damage often carries into adulthood with a “history is boring” attitude. But as an investigative blogger with a deep desire to uncover the hidden truths, I can tell you that history, real history, can be mesmerizing. It will be my honor to be your guide.
