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Question: What did freedom mean to a white southerner who fought in the confederate army in the civil war!?

during the reconstruction periodWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Of course there are many possible answers, some more obvious than others; but there are aspects that many do not look to!. One is a perception of the nature of the government of the US and it's degree of involvement in the day-to-day running of state business!. Specifically, before the American Civil War (ACW), when one referred to the United States, it was expressed as "the United States ARE!.!.!."; This is the same context as the word "Statecraft" or the term "enemy of the State", the "State" defined as a sovereign nation-state, such as the countries in Europe!. The Founding Fathers initially intended that the US would be a gathering of "sovereign States"!.
With the growing concept of a Federalist government (One nation, under God), the idea that individual states running their own affairs was anathema to those Federalists!. What really sealed the deal for the southern states was the issue of chattel slavery!. Many southerners wanted to continue the "sovereign states" concept, which in this particular case allowed for the institution of slavery to continue; the Federalists wanted to exert their influence over all of the states, pulling them into line as a single national entity without slavery (there were other economic motives as well, but those were frequently glossed over in favor of the more inflammatory slavery issue)!. After the war concluded, the US was ever after referred to in the Federalist context of, "the United States IS!.!.!." as in a single nation!. This difference in philosophy was very influential to the animosity between "Federalists" and "States Rights" believers, and it was crucial to many Southern soldiers whose concept of "Freedom" you refer to in your question!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

He was supposedly to receive the same rights as any other american!. He had always had freedom!. Most went back to doing what they had before, such as farming, and agriculture!. Many moved west, as the south was such a mess it took many years to repair the damage!. He would have felt his rights had been changed due to the repressive northern congress and the freed slaves,but he always had the freedom to moveWww@QuestionHome@Com