The Civil War Was Over Slavery

Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts is right and Gen. John Kelly, White House chief of staff, is wrong. The Civil War was over slavery and not “the lack of the ability to compromise,” as Gen. Kelly, Pres. Trump’s handler, alleged.

I can’t think of a better book to read that proves the point that the Civil War was over slavery than Fergus M. Bordewich’s “Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America.” It’s a superb, well researched, and entertaining read. Some of the Underground Railroad escorts were soberly dressed Quakers who masqueraded in costume as slave owners and slave hunters. Emboldened by their passion for helping slaves escape their oppression, the talented Quakers were fit for the stage they were so adept in their assumed roles as arrogant southern slave hunters.

Yet they refused to ascend to the stage. They would only act in pursuit of their cause.

No slave was truly free until he or she reached Canada. A freed slave could live in New York City and still be caught by a predator and sent back to a plantation as a slave until after the Civil War.

It’s not enough to read history. Historical fiction is helpful, too. Books to give you a sense of the times are of course “Roots: the Saga of an American Family,” by Alex Haley (history and historical fiction), “Cane River,” by Lalita Tademy, and "Red River," also by Lalita Tademy, all New York Times best sellers. I watched "Roots" on television. My favorite character was "Chicken George," the clever and witty survivor. I own Lalita Tademy's books and have read them at least twice. They're brilliant, soulful, and powerful.