Chapter 10 President Lincoln found his eternal calling

Brother Lu: Hello! Glad to finally hear from you.You said that my account of the Civil War was different from the stories you had read before, so I was very interested to hear it.You also raised a question in your letter.You said, if Lincoln accepted the fact of the Southern "Confederacy", what would happen?As a president, if he recognized such a split, will he become an "eternal sinner" in American history?What is the prospect of a divided America?This question is very interesting. In my last letter, I was sorting out the causes of this war first.If you want to separate the intertwined complex factors, you only need to ask yourself two simple questions.The first problem is that if the South does not ask to leave the United States, but insists on slavery, it is Taoist.See "Lu Buwei" in "History". , would President Lincoln fight the Civil War?The answer is, obviously not.The second question is, if there was no slavery in the South, but the secession was demanded, would President Lincoln still fight this war?The answer is undoubtedly yes.Therefore, when we discuss the war options facing President Lincoln, we should first separate the issue of slavery.Otherwise, you will be entangled in the vicious circle of the chicken laying the egg or the egg laying the chicken, biting your own tail and turning around, and you will not be able to get out.Answering the questions in your letter is much easier when the nature of the question is clear.

Yes, President Lincoln seemed to have no choice at the time. This was just a "normal choice" due to the historical constraints at that time.Indeed, he could have another choice, which is to accept the fact of the Southern "Confederacy".I've talked to you about how America was built in a very special way.It is formed by the voluntary association of thirteen independent regions with the purpose of "freedom and equality".In particular, its founders did not take advantage of the prestige they had built during the American Revolutionary War and the founding period to build an empire of their own.Usually this is a very easy thing to do.

The founders of the United States rationally created a land of freedom to the greatest extent possible.The first step in doing so is for them to retreat first, to the end.Back to where they were before this nation was born.For them, freedom is a very simple truth.It means that the people live according to their own wishes, and the people in a region live a free life of co-existence in accordance with the contract between them.If they wish, the various regions can voluntarily negotiate and compromise to reach a contract to unite them together.The reason for this combination must be that the areas that are united can obtain the benefits of the joint, for example, the sense of security brought about by common defense, more convenient trade, and so on.Such association should not interfere with their original freedom.This is how the principle of full regional autonomy emerged.

However, the founders of the United States made a demand that the area united under the name of the United States must recognize the basic humanitarian principles of this free country.However, when the country was founded, it did not depend on our feelings, it was copied by our feelings. These original British colonies still have the historical problem of inhumane slavery.The Founders approached this issue with the belief that each region must at least have the will and the ability to achieve abolition gradually on its own.Given the founding principles of the United States, each region's problems must be solved by itself.If a region insists on what the entire alliance considers inhumane, everyone has the right to condemn it and urge it to change in the form of a joint contract, that is, a legal form, but there is no right to use force against it.This is why President Lincoln stated repeatedly before the Civil War that he had no intention of abolishing slavery by force.Because in this contract country, people agree that all possible problems can be solved only by establishing and implementing a common contract.Force has never been a recognized way to resolve conflicts between regions.So, this is true for the issue of abolition of slavery, but is it different for the issue of a region requesting to leave the Federation?

We have seen that during the Civil War, the United States was several times larger than when it was founded.Even among the seven states that originally proposed to leave the United States and establish the Southern "Confederacy", only South Carolina and Georgia were in the original American territory, and several other states were joined later.Although there is no clear provision in the U.S. Constitution, how to deal with a state requesting to leave the United States.However, according to the thoughts and actions of the founders of the United States, according to their principles of self-government and voluntary alliance, it is said that "only let in and not let out". Said, is "self-evident".President Lincoln was certainly well aware of such a principle.So, he understands that he faces a question of legality.

So what would have happened if President Lincoln had chosen to accept the fact that the seven southern states had left the United States?First, it is possible that the moderate southern states would not all join the Confederacy, Virginia, for example, would remain in the United States.In this way, the territory of the United States will be about one-fifth smaller than it is today.The reason why I say "probably" is because if the Southern "Confederacy" came together through slavery, driven by the historical trend, it may not necessarily remain monolithic.Some of these states, and even the entire Southern "Confederacy," may later come back because they have a common goal with the United States.Because although they had differences with the United States on the issue of slavery, they did not have any hatred.Due to the change of concept, it is natural to have such "separation" and "combination".

In fact, President Lincoln himself predicted the possible further separation of the South.He said in his inaugural speech, "Just as some states in the current union have announced their secession from the Union, won't a part of the Southern 'Confederacy' break away again arbitrarily in a year or two?" Such "prospects" to deter the departure of the South wrote the preface to the book "Critique of Political Economy" written in 1859.Written in 1859, it did not occur to me that the different combinations of people due to different ideas is a natural process, and the further separation of the South may mean the reunification and even expansion of the United States.

The key lies in how a federal country like the United States is established and maintained.On this point, President Lincoln and the founding fathers of the United States have different understandings. The founding principle of the United States does not seem to have any binding force on the various regions of the Federation.It must be a plate of loose sand with a strong centrifugal force.It seems that the United States is very easy to become divided.But, a reason that should be the cause of the separation has turned out to be a magnetic core with great attraction, and this magnetic core is the mutually beneficial coexistence under the premise of freedom and non-interference zone freedom.If we say that today many people leave their inseparable traditions, culture and mother tongue and come here in search of a prosperous life, the United States was once a poor place.However, it not only attracted many immigrants from all over the world, but also attracted regions to join.Because freedom is the state that conforms to the most basic human nature, whether as an individual or a region, people's nature is to seek a state of freedom and mutual benefit and coexistence in this state.The Commonwealth is clearly not held together by patriotic slogans and guns.This point, President Lincoln is gradually awakened, awakened on the frightening battlefield.

After President Lincoln struggled between the dilemmas to make a war decision, he himself fell into an abyss of pain.The more the front line was opened, the deeper the battle, the more casualties on both sides, and the more he understood the price of this choice.After all, President Lincoln played differently from some politicians who only pursued their own political goals.Luo Qinshun's "Historical Knowledge": "Said: the nature of destiny, because of his temperament, he can't ignore death. Therefore, during the entire war, no matter whether it is victory or defeat, he has a heavy heart. He has been unable to stop the war. He doesn't know how to get rid of his spiritual burden, and he doesn't know how to help this country get rid of this disaster. But he knows that he is responsible for today's situation.

The Battle of Gettysburg was a crucial battle for the federal army to turn defeat into victory. However, standing on this battlefield, Lincoln couldn't escape the heavy shadow cast on him by the casualties of nearly 50,000 soldiers on both sides.The war will continue, and he has to say something as president, but he can't inspire the soldiers' fighting spirit by boasting of victory in the face of death.An unresolved sadness was the tone of President Lincoln's short speech after the Battle of Gettysburg. In the end, Lincoln found a breakthrough for himself. Halfway through the Civil War, he made a theme switch for the goal of the war, changing the Union's appeal for the war from preventing the division of the Union to abolishing slavery and freeing black slaves. .That's how you think of the Civil War as a war to free slaves.The reason for this goal switch is because President Lincoln is still a politician with a great historical vision.He saw that if there were hundreds of thousands of casualties in a three-month battle, the "rebels" would be quickly suppressed, and the unity of the Federation would be maintained. Perhaps, it would become a successful conclusion in history.Because the South's demands for secession itself have its own historical stages.After this period, the cause of separation disappears, and the integrity of the Union is preserved.The future generations of the United States may also accept the short war of "maintaining unity". The dead soldiers are regarded as heroes, and the war is crowned as patriotic. It only needs to build a monument and keep flowers, and the war is cruel. One side of it will be covered up, and its meaning will be sublimated.Haven't countless wars in history passed like this?

However, President Lincoln realized that no matter how well-reasoned and righteous the political goal of maintaining federal unity is for a president.On the contrary, it is unreliable and wrong.The success here does not refer to individuals. In a country like the United States, he has no reason to fight a cruel war that lasted four years and swallowed 600,000 lives.What's more, the relationship between the states and the Federation, the right to free separation and the permanence of federal unity, the focus of these wars are still a political proposition that can be disputed and inconclusive.If we stick to this "unified" political goal, then perhaps this political appeal can be gloriously persisted until the end of the war, or even longer, but in a country established on the principles of humanity and humanity, no matter what President Lincoln established No matter how majestic a monument is, it cannot calm the groans of these 600,000 souls underground.He realizes that even if he wins this war based on political appeal, he will never be at peace.Whether he is alive or he is dead, one day, he will not be able to escape the condemnation of history.This is where President Lincoln really stood above some of the other political leaders, he was a political figure with a sense of history.He stands on the hilltop of history and sees far beyond even his own life.Therefore, people have never seen President Lincoln beaming with joy and triumph for the victory of the battle.He always carried a heavy burden in his heart.As I mentioned earlier, he woke up on the battlefield, but at this moment, the battlefield is already bleeding like rivers. Assuming that President Lincoln did not have such an awakening, such a theme switch of the war goal would not be necessary.He could fly the patriotic banner of the original defense of the Union to the last moment of the war.without picking up the abolition of slavery by force, which he explicitly declared at the outset to be beyond his executive presidency.However, at this time, he already understood that he could not continue to fly such a patriotic flag. If he did not have a high moral reason, he would really become a man who used guns to maintain the Federation and caused nearly a million casualties. The "Sinner of the Ages" of a Civil War. This war theme switch is very timely and makes sense.The founding spirit of the United States is equality and freedom.The theory of regional autonomy originates from regional freedom, which means that people in a region have the freedom to choose their own way of life.But such a freedom cannot be based on the enslavement of others.In other words, the United States guarantees individual freedom, but all people are equal, and one person has no "freedom" to infringe on the freedom of others. Therefore, if the appeal of the Southern "Confederacy" is "separation" based on "regional freedom", and the reason for the Federation's use of force is only "no separation", in the United States, such a reason justifies such a tragic war The ideal dialectics represented by Hegel and the materialist dialectics of Marxism.In China, it is difficult to stand for a long time.However, if the reason for using force is to "liberate the slaves", that is, "return the slaves to freedom", then the moral appeal of "fighting for the freedom of the enslaved people" cannot be compared with the political appeal of "regional freedom". rivals.These two demands are far from the same level.Under the founding spirit of the United States, the moral appeal of "freeing slaves" that is closest to basic human nature will always stand.Even the longer the time, the more people can be recognized. One of the most important events of the war was President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.From the perspective of today, a large number of historians still feel that this declaration is more of a strategic consideration to disintegrate the enemy's rear than a purely moral announcement.Because in this declaration, President Lincoln announced that only the slaves in the areas occupied by the Confederate Army were liberated, while the slaves in the areas occupied by the Northern Army were not included in the list of "liberated".It was, however, a crucial step in which President Lincoln began to shift the theme of the war. In the second inaugural speech of Lincoln's re-election four years later, we saw that compared with his first inaugural speech, he had already completed the switch of the federal army's war goals.In this speech close to the victory of the war, the slave issue has been clearly marked by President Lincoln as the cause of the war, and the moral appeal of emancipating slaves has become the main component of this speech.It can be said that the Union Army had already won at the moment when President Lincoln completed this theme switch.Moreover, they can have this victory for a long time. I must emphasize to you that this switch by President Lincoln was not arbitrary.He was able to do this because he had a solid historical foundation as his support.For hundreds of years, the spiritual mainstream of the United States has "supplemented" and "criticized" in order to seek the goal of a human nature in which all people are born equal.Propagating the new in philosophy has carried out long-term hard work.It can already be seen in the stories you told in my previous letters.Under such efforts to abolish slavery that lasted for several generations, and in the general atmosphere of deep abhorrence of slavery in the North, a slogan of emancipation on the battlefield could be successful. Just like the original "Independence War", this is basically a white man's war.Especially in the early days of the Civil War, when President Lincoln had not made such a switch to the war goal, the federal army did not recruit blacks into the army.Even in the latter part of the war, although blacks participated in the war for freedom, they were still a minority in the army.Black soldiers form their own teams and do not mix with white soldiers, but the officers are all white.However, what we cannot fail to respect today is that this predominantly white federal army was able to accept this battle cry without hindrance, fighting and shedding blood for the slaves who were all black in the South at that time. sacrifice.And since then, their descendants are still proud of it.More than a hundred years ago, when racial prejudice was still common among people, this could only happen in a land with a deep humanitarian tradition. The southern "Confederacy" reacted a bit slower to President Lincoln's switch of war goals.The reason is that after the start of the war, the two sides have already had clear combat goals.At that time, regardless of whether the battle was won or lost, the South always felt confident in the goal of the battle.Their understanding of President Lincoln's "Emancipation Proclamation" was just a strategic measure.When they came to their senses, they were speechless.Although the outcome of the war has not yet been finally decided, they have suffered a crushing defeat in terms of the justification of the war. The key point is that there is slavery in the South, and the initial motivation for those extreme southern states to leave the United States is also to hope that slavery can be maintained peacefully without interference.They know that they cannot "discuss" with the American spiritual mainstream on the issue of whether slavery is moral or not, that is, whether it is in line with human nature.At this point, they knew that they were wrong, and they even did not hesitate to leave the United States because of this, in order to avoid the North's relentless pursuit and always demand "moral debate" in court. However, after they put forward their request to leave the United States, President Lincoln organized the federal army to attack the South in one fell swoop in the name of "defending the unity of the Union".In the face of this war, the South had no sense of reason at all, because they believed that they had the right to leave the United States.What's more, the flames of war are burning in the southern land. They are the invaders, and it is only natural to defend their home and country. They regard this war as another revolution for independence and freedom after the War of Independence.However, when they finally found out that the opponent's war goal had changed, they fell into an inescapable trap.Because, whether they are willing or not, since the opponent's combat goal has been changed, their status has also been changed at the same time.That is to say, since the federal army is "liberating slaves", they must be positioned accordingly in the position of "fighting to maintain slavery", and they cannot escape. At this time, the "Confederacy" in the South was really in a state of embarrassment.The federal army, holding the banner of emancipating slaves, shouted the slogan of freedom and charged forward. Justice was awe-inspiring, and death was well deserved.The South suddenly found itself unable to come up with a corresponding battle cry to contend with.Once again, the South was wronged, but it seemed to be inexplicably wronged.They wanted to accuse President Lincoln of being unreasonable in switching the theme of the war, but they were tongue-tied and speechless.Because people claim that what they fight is slavery, and slavery exists in the South. Under such circumstances, the Southern "Confederacy" found that the only way to bring the two sides back to the original focus of the dispute, "to set the record straight" was to make the new target that President Lincoln switched to disappear. Plato, the great disciple of Grates Because of its influence, it got this name to show its connection with Platonism, and in this way, it is possible to return to the focus of the original war dispute.This may re-expose the injustice and illegality of the South's insistence on federal military operations.As a result, the Southern "Confederacy" announced that slavery was abolished in the South.At this moment, the war entered an absurd state, and the fighting target of the federal army suddenly disappeared. However, the South's reaction was too late.At this time, it was already the late stage of the war, and the situation in the south was gone.President Lincoln decided to continue to hold high the banner of emancipating slaves regardless of the situation, and fight all the way to victory.The Southern "Confederacy" had been at a disadvantage, exhausted, and never really had a chance to reopen the question of their right to leave the United States. On April 8, 1865, in Virginia, the first battlefield where the federal army attacked the South, sixty miles away from Lichmond, the capital of the "Confederacy" of the South, in a small two-story red brick building in a quiet village, South General Robert Lee, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, wearing a neat and spotless military uniform, surrendered to General Grant, Commander-in-Chief of the Union Army on behalf of the Confederate Army.Three days later, the soldiers of the Northern Virginia Army of the Confederate Army walked in front of the Union Army with their flags lowered, laid down their weapons, and began their journey back home.Thus ended the four-year American Civil War. Six days after General Lee surrendered on behalf of the Confederate Army, April 14, 1865, you may recall, was the fourth anniversary of the fall of Fort Semut.This frontier castle had just been recovered from the Confederate Army two months ago.On that day, they celebrated the recovery of the federal frontier castle in a special way, Yang Xiong, or "Yang Xiong". The biography of "Hanshu" was written by Yang Xiong, and Duan Yucai of the Qing Dynasty verified it. They invited General Anderson who was stationed at Fort Semut back then to participate in a ceremony.General Anderson was already a gray-haired sixty-year-old man at this time.And has left his military service due to health reasons.At this ceremony, he re-raised the flag that he was forced to lower four years ago, and he couldn't help feeling a lot of emotion.However, that same night, in a theater in Washington, President Lincoln was assassinated by a Southern actor.It seemed to foreshadow how Americans have felt thus far about the Civil War, a war without victors and overwhelmingly tragic. If future generations must decide whether this war is right or wrong, then since President Lincoln switched his political appeal of "patriotic maintenance of federal unity" to "liberate slaves and fight for freedom" From the moment of the moral appeal of the South, the South has already lost.As soon as the war ended, scholars from both the North and the South continued to publish research results of various viewpoints on the war.Because the Civil War, an extraordinary state in history, did not interrupt the tradition of freedom of speech and academic freedom in the United States. Americans can still see various academic debates and different views on the Civil War. No one can deny the fact that there have been countless soldiers of the Union Army who shed their blood under the banner of liberty to "liberate the slaves"; and no one can deny the fact that even before the Civil War, the South still existed Inhuman slavery.As a result, as President Lincoln predicted, with the progress of history and people's understanding of the universal human nature that transcends racial attributes, the weight of the moral appeal of "freeing the slaves and fighting for freedom" has also increased. It gets heavier and heavier.Any political appeal, even if it has great reasons, will be overshadowed by such humanitarian appeals.Just as President Lincoln predicted, in the United States established on the humanitarian principle of "equality and freedom", only under the humanitarian goal of "liberating the slaves and fighting for freedom" can people recognize this for a long time. The dedication of many young lives.Therefore, in the United States, people generally accepted President Lincoln's explanation of the Civil War in his second inaugural address.Moreover, even the illegality of emancipating slaves by force in this country, which Lincoln himself admitted, was intentionally or unintentionally ignored by the northern people.The South's continued defense after the war also seemed very pale. In the United States, there can be no real winners in this war.Because the war is not over yet, the humanitarian concern for war wounds has gradually overwhelmed everything else.A memorial remains on the former battlefield of Gettysburg, one of the largest battles of the Civil War.You won't find a heroic eulogy to the victor in Han Feizi Han Fei at the end of the Warring States period.Compiled by later generations.Putting forward "laws" and "techniques" can't find a slight insult to "enemies" and "rebels".All you can see is a peaceful and objective account of the tragedy of war. In this memorial hall, there is an objective description of the progress of the battle, but no high praise is specially used for one side, and no contemptuous derogatory terms are used for the other side.In the memorial hall, there are photos of the commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg for more than 100 years. In these photos, people can see that the soldiers of both sides have gradually grown old, reaching out to each other and holding each other again. I'm here to record some simple display instructions as-is.Because I think you might get a sense of how Americans feel about this war from these calm accounts. "Wesley and William Corp were two brothers who grew up in Gettysburg. After parting, both joined the army. Finally met on the battlefield - one for the "Confederate" and the other for the Union. 1863 In June, the F company of the 87th Pennsylvania Militia Regiment, which belonged to the Winchester Federal Army in Virginia, where William Corpp belonged, understood "sex" as an intuitive method of cognition; Brother Wesley belonged to the B Company of the Second Virginia Militia Infantry Regiment belonging to the "Confederate" Army, and a battle broke out.A few days later, Wesley's regiment was transferred to his hometown to participate in the battle. He was killed on June 3 while attacking Corpus Knoll, where he had played as a child.When Wesley's family heard of his death, they went to the battlefield to find him.They found the butt of the gun with his name engraved on it, but his body was never found or identified. "Below this description, there are photos of brothers William and Wesley Corp, and Corp Hill, where Wesley was killed. Another display reads: "Another local story about Wesley Corp and Jenny Wade. After the Battle of Winchester, Wesley met a young Union Army wounded soldier, Corporal Johnson (Jack) Skyley Wesley recognized him as a childhood friend from Gettysburg. He went up to talk and Jack handed him a letter asking him to give it to his lover Jay when he passed by. Nee Wade. A few days later, Wesley was at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the first day of fighting ceased fire, he visited his sister in Gettysburg and mentioned that he had a letter from Jack Skye Ray's letter was to be forwarded to Jenny Wade. His sister said that he could deliver it for him, but he still wanted to deliver it himself in the future. On June 3, Wesley still had this letter in his pocket when he was killed. On the same day, Jenny Wade was killed by a stray bullet. On June 12, Jack Skelley died of his wounds." In this memorial, there is also a photo of several children, and the display description next to it is like this, "After the Battle of Gettysburg, it was found in the hands of an unknown Union Army soldier, holding this photo. A few days Later, the Gettysburg resident who held this photo told the matter to Dr. Jay Francis Bonn of Philadelphia. Dr. Bonn asked for the photo, copied it and published notices in various newspapers in the North , seeking assistance in identifying the father of the child. This story and photos appeared in many newspapers and magazines, and touched the hearts of many northerners. The confession notice also responded. The identity of the dead soldier was confirmed by his wife. He was 154 Sergeant Amos Hamilton, Company C, New York Militia. Dr. Bonn came to Porterville, New York, and returned the original photograph to Mrs. Hamilton. A fund-raising drive for orphans of Confederate servicemen. This fund-raising campaign expanded to sell reproduction photographs of the Hamilton children, as well as poetry and music about the story. With the support of this fund, Gotti was established in 1866 Mrs. Hamilton became a staff member there and moved into the orphanage with her children." In this memorial hall, there are still some photos of soldiers standing at that time, and the photos have been enlarged to the size of real people.Standing in rows in the dark exhibition hall.The light casts on the stern faces of the warriors, their eyes staring at you, making it impossible for you to ignore the dead and behold them.It was formed in the period of primitive society, it is religion and idealism, and it is the same life as you.They are the soul of Gettysburg, and the soul of this war. This memorial makes all visitors think of this war. The first thing that comes to mind is these young lives, and those connected with these lives, were destroyed by the war. One by one happiness and affection.It reminds you all the time that these soldiers are also the children their parents love, the fathers their children cling to, the lovers of their girls' dreams, and they are destroyed, Confederate or Northern.Even they were destroyed in the hands of their brothers.What else in the world can be called a "tragedy" than this?In the face of such a tragedy, what other exploits and victories are there to boast about? This is the tone that has shaped the commentary on the Civil War from the moment it ended.We once chatted with a friend from China about the American war attitude.He finds it strange and always asks why this is the case.I think all I can answer is that it just happened naturally.Because this is in line with their consistent logic, not only from their religious traditions, but also based on the consistent attitude of people here to respect individuals and life. The American system does not allow the government to restrict the expression of people's thoughts and feelings.Therefore, people in both the South and the North can raise their own funds to build various memorials and museums dedicated to the Civil War.There are monuments and museums like this all over the United States.No one can interfere with the wording of a monument, and no one can "set the tone" of a museum's theme.In the North, when you read the monuments, you can see that when they refer to this war, they use terms like "civil war" and sometimes refer to the Union.In the South, however, the monument refers to the war as the "War of Nations" because there was already an independent Confederate "Confederacy". However, whether in the south or the north, the keynote of their monuments and museums are all nostalgia for the lost life. In this land, you can get the truth by arousing your soul's memory of the world of ideas.It is natural to argue. Seeing these atmospheres that are quite different from the style of military museums we have always been used to, we can only think that there are some things that are different in our starting point. The children are nurtured and gradually grown up in different atmospheres. When they grow up, they will feel strange and surprised when they meet. President Lincoln's whole mentality has never left such a heavy sense of tragedy.Regardless of the historical limitations of President Lincoln more than a hundred years ago and the decisions he made during the whole process, however, this may only be the result more than a hundred years ago.In my opinion, the greatness of President Lincoln lies in his historical understanding of the tragedy of the war, and his sincerity to integrate his awakening on the war issue into his decision-making on post-war issues. Although, based on the constraints of the U.S. system, it was difficult for President Lincoln to do it. Like the leaders of some other countries usually do, standing on the superior position of the victor, with an overwhelming advantage after the war, he cooperated with overwhelming public opinion propaganda. Next, make a thorough liquidation of the southern "rebels" from top to bottom.For example, to suppress the leaders, clean up the participants of the rebellion, and deal with a large number of "aftermath" in the south with war crimes, rebellion crimes, criminal crimes, etc.And in the public opinion, they praised the achievements of the north in countering the rebellion, and put the south in a heinous position, which would never turn over.President Lincoln could not do this arbitrarily, but President Lincoln's own attitude towards the post-war South issue is still very important. President Lincoln was almost assassinated at the end of the war. However, when the war situation was clear and the victory or defeat was basically a foregone conclusion, he was a resolute moderate on how to deal with the post-war southern issue.Although it has changed due to his assassination.It is believed that the world is renewing day by day, and everything is changing, creating a theoretical basis for the reform.Batch, the federal government has had some back and forth in its handling of the South.However, this attitude of President Lincoln still had a great influence on the direction of the post-war South and post-war America. The post-war South was devastated.I have told you before that war has its own laws, and once the war machine is in motion, its brutality itself will lead to many uncontrollable situations.This is true even in modern wars, not to mention a war more than a hundred years ago, when both sides basically fought such a war with temporarily recruited militias.Just like the Chinese saying, soldiers are also weapons.Americans say war is a dirty thing.As I said before, due to the American system, it is impossible for one person or some people to set the tone for the review, excavation and expression of a war, and then propagate it as it is.Everything that happened during the war may be written down and published.In the United States, there are so many books about the Civil War that if you spend your whole life reading them without doing anything, it is impossible to finish them.Moreover, it continues to be published. 南方的一片焦土，也在出版的历史，回忆录和老照片集子里，永久地保留下来了。例如在佐治亚，北方联邦军的指挥官谢尔曼将军，是无人不晓的著名历史人物。很不幸的是，他的名字一直和一场场的大火联系在一起。北军打到佐治亚的时候，南方已经大势已去了，尤其是在亚特兰大市被攻陷之后。去年的亚特兰大奥运会，吸引了来自全球的旅游者。人们发现，这个城市相当于其它逐步发展的大城市来说，它的市中心除漂亮整洁之外，还有一种“崭新”的感觉。我第一次去亚特兰大，印象最深的就是“新”，新得叫人觉得疑疑惑惑。后来才知道，在南北战争中，那个旧的亚特兰大，在谢尔曼将军的命令下，一把火全部烧了个干净。 不仅如此，从亚特兰大开始，尽管谢尔曼将军领导的北军一直处于相当顺利的形势，但是为了彻底地吓住南方，他命令部队将遇到的民房一路烧下去用、草木、鸟兽、鬼神、方术等类研究。卷首《总论》中表，同时杀死所有遇到的牲畜。就这样，一路烽火南下。在接近佐治亚南方港口城市塞凡那的时候，塞凡那的人们发现根本无力抵挡北军的攻势。为了避免损失，商人们派出代表去见谢尔曼将军，表示不抵抗，希望他能够不烧塞凡那，并且在他进城之后予以协助。谢尔曼答应了。此刻，正是圣诞节前夕，谢尔曼将军高兴地给林肯总统写了一封信，在信中提到，我将把完整的塞凡那，作为送给你的圣诞礼物。该信的原件犹存，这成为今天在美国南方，人人都知道的一个“典故”。塞凡那就这样保留下来，成为今天佐治亚最美丽的一个老城市。在美国逻辑中，那些塞凡那商人也完全是正面的形象，南方人也决不会把他们当叛徒对待。 离开塞凡那，谢尔曼将军的部队又一路向北烧将上去，一直烧到南卡罗莱纳的查尔斯顿。查尔斯顿进行了顽强的抵抗，待到谢尔曼将军攻下查尔斯顿，已经一片断壁残垣。我们在南方周游的时候，几乎到处可以听到谢尔曼将军的名字，一百多年来，南方民众的子孙对“谢尔曼的大火”耿耿于怀，一代传一代。在我们来到查尔斯顿的时候，就问过一位在市政府的花园里做义务导游的老人，谢尔曼将军烧过查尔斯顿吗？老人说，查尔斯顿在被北军攻陷的时候，已经大半毁于炮火，所以，“已经不必麻烦他再烧了”。一出城，我们就在查尔斯顿的郊外，遇到被北军焚烧后至今还留下一堆焦黑瓦砾的庄园。 在那次陪伴我们的澳大利亚朋友去塞凡那的时候，参观了谢尔曼将军在塞凡那期间居住的那幢房子。那是南北战争时期当地大富豪的私邸。在参观之后，我们的朋友也向讲解员了解有关谢尔曼将军烧佐治亚的情况，可见谢尔曼将军已经随着历史书在澳大利亚也出了名。那个讲解员平和地说，据他认为，这些情况也不能全部归咎于谢尔曼将军一个人，因为在战争期间，一切都在混乱之中，失控的情况常常会发生。两位澳大利亚人十分惊讶，说是没想到南方人还有这样的客观和冷静。 当然，这份平静也是一百多年时间淘洗的结果。可是，那位讲解员的说法还是有一定道理的。枪声一响，一开始杀戳和被杀，人就被改变了所封邑（今山东泗水县东南）；鲁，周公子伯禽封国（今山东，战争的双方都一样。局势也就在一片混乱中变得难以控制。例如，在南北战争中，战场上的双方士兵常常补给不足，双方也就都有饿得骨瘦如柴的战俘。在主要战场的南方，平民遭遇北方军队抢劫的情况也很多。双方在后期甚至都出现过“督战队”，即向自己一方的逃兵开枪，等等。所有这些战争阴暗面和细节，都在战后，随着战争的书信集日记集，逐渐变成一本本历史书，出版并且公诸于世。 不仅是纪念馆，这里的战争回忆录，和我们所熟悉的革命回忆录的风格也是有区别的。并不是这里所发生的内战，就比其它地方的内战流了更多的血；也并不是这里的内战，就更不人道。只是，这里的人放下武器的时候，比其它一些地方的人们更快地意识到，他们原来都是父子兄弟。他们生活在同一块土地上，有着同样的宗教，甚至来自同一个家庭。当他们已经杀死了自己的兄弟之后，他们从战争的魔魇中醒来，自己被自己的行为震慑住了。接下来的一个最自然的问题就是，他们一定要以这样的方式，解决他们之间的问题吗？ 在美国南北战争之后，这样一种自发的，出自人性本能的对于内战的反省，其结果就是，在这个国家，再也没有一个政治家胆敢试图用武力去解决国内问题，不论他是来自南方，还是北方。人们普遍理解，他们的先辈有他们的历史局限性，也许他们还没有足够的智慧去避免这样一场内战。可是，如果再来一次的话，不论是谁，都很难避免在历史上定位成为一个罪人的结局。因为今天的人类已经又“进化”了一步。 你一定还记得，在南方向塞姆特堡开出第一炮的时候，南方和北方，还没有什么深仇大恨。可是，战争最基本的一个功能就是制造仇恨。那么在战争制造了仇恨之后官之首。荀子提出“以仁心说”，以为心是安置“仁”之道德，这个国家怎么办？当时，林肯总统已经被暗杀，按照宪法，由他的副总统安德鲁.约翰逊接替他的位置。在这个时期，几乎是美国总统和国会的关系最为恶劣的一个时期。在美国历史上，大概再也没有出现过哪个时期，有如此之多的国会法案被总统否决，又有如此之多总统否决后的提案，重新又以绝对多数被国会强行通过。所以，当你听到，美国历史上唯一的一次，正式由国会对总统提出弹劾，也发生在这个时候，就不会感到奇怪了。现在回过头去看，这一切只是美国在南北战争之后充满矛盾的反映。 在战前，是南北对峙的矛盾，在南方“邦联”成立的时候，南方的国会议员们就都离开美国国会，回到南方自己的“邦联”议会去了。美国国会里只剩下了北方的议员，在这个时候，基本上都是北方议员的国会，和林肯的副总统之间，为什么会出现美国历史上国会与总统最尖锐的矛盾呢？ 战争过去了，北方胜利了。在战争后期，这个胜利还没有完全出来之前，根据战场形势，林肯总统对于胜利前景，已经非常有把握了。可是，“战胜”究竟解决了什么问题，问题又解决到什么地步呢？尽管在战争后期，林肯总统作了一个战争的目标切换，可是，他应该明白，战争的实质并没有因此而发生变化。这场战争就是用武力把逃离美国的南方，押回了联邦。即使在解放奴隶的问题上也是一样，实质就是北方用枪逼着南方，在奴隶制问题上，统一到美国主流的制度和观念上。 在奴隶制这个历史遗留问题上，美国自从它的建国者们提出了“自由平等”的建国理想，到这个时候，北方和南方似乎都彻底解决这个问题了。可是，解决的方式不一样本原因，找到解决人与文明之间冲突的途径。，它们的结局也是完全不同的。在北方，人们逐步通过辩论，唤起大多数人的人性觉醒，最后白人自己立法，放弃这样一个对他们应该说是“有利可图”的制度。在这个过程中，一部分人因此放弃或失去了一份对于他们来说是“传统的财产”。从立法通过起，所有的人遵从这个大多数人的决定。 这样一个过程，不仅是加强了民众对于契约社会正常运作方式的认同，更重要的是，这样循序渐进的一个立法过程，也是人们对于一个不人道的制度反省和认识的过程。当这个过程完成，瓜熟蒂落的时候，所得到的成果是有它坚实的社会基础的。因此，这样的矛盾是一个自然化解的过程，虽然在奴隶制被废除之后，人们对于种族的偏见依然存在，但这是另一个认识过程的开始。这个新的过程站在一个可靠的起点上。你可以因此而预期到，后面的这一个认识提升过程，也会是平稳的渐进的，相对顺利的。 那么，在这样一场林肯总统所领导的革命性的变革之后，南方又收获什么样的成果呢？这要从南方原来的社会状况谈起了。是的，在南北战争前的南方，只有百分之五的白人是拥有奴隶的，只有百分之一的白人是拥有百名奴隶以上的真正大奴隶主。可是，当时南方的白人是生活在一个自由民主的社会中，并不存在那些百分之一的大奴隶主专制的问题。奴隶主虽少，维持奴隶制却是当时大多数南方白人的意愿，尤其是在极端南方更是如此。这些白人，用我们习惯的阶级分析的观点来说，都是最底层的劳动人民。为什么会出现这样的情况呢？ 一方面是由于历史局限和教育程度低下所造成极端的种族偏见，一方面也是这样的制度维持了一个有等级的，稳定安全的保守社会。你不要以为当时的美国南方只是不喜欢黑人，其实他们更不喜欢时髦的，流动状态的德意志意识形态全名《德意志意识形态（对费尔巴哈、布，一天一个“主义”的北方白人。也不喜欢犹太人和来自欧洲的白人新移民。他们不要什么新奇的花样。就这么按照原来的样子过着挺好，主人象个主人的样子，仆人象个仆人的样子，奴隶也象个奴隶的样子。 当种族偏见和狭窄保守结合在一起，极端南方的大多数白人就是要反对废奴，尽管他们自己并没有什么奴隶。极端南方是一个很有自己主意的民主社会。所以，他们当初要提出离开美国并不是完全没有道理的，因为极端南方的几个州，和美国精神主流的风格和社会诉求确实相去甚远。所谓的民主社会，并不是一个完美社会的意思，它只是一个由大多数人在决定风格的一个社会。这些人的认识水平就决定了这个社会的面貌。不论奴隶制是多么不人道，在这里，这就是这个社会的绝大多数人的认识水平。 说到这里，你一定也意识到，这是一个枪炮一时难以解决的问题。可是，这正是林肯总统和北方在胜利在望的时候，所面临的最大问题。就是把南方押回来以后，怎么办？它是回来了，可是在实质上，它还是南方“邦联”，不是美国。因此，在处理战后的南方问题上，北方产生了巨大分歧。国会以强硬派为多数，这意味着什么呢？这意味着当时北方的大多数人，对于这个问题都持强硬观点。国会议员都是民众选出来的，一般来说，在美国最能反映民意的就是国会了。当然，国会议员来自不同地区，所以他们代表了不同地区的民意，国会本身也就很难达成一致意见。现在，南方议员在战前就全部离开了。国会也就第一次有了相对一致的条件。可是，林肯总统在这个问题上，却坚定地站在温和立场上。 林肯总统显然没有在战前预料到，南北战争将是这样一场持久残酷的战争。开战以前，他曾经尝试了一次强硬的态度，于是有了这场战争。所以在战后，也许对于林肯总统来说本能；良能，天生具备的实现天赋道德理想的能力。语出，更简单的做法还是强硬到底。可是看上去，林肯虽然已经无法改变南北战争这个现实，他却显然不想在战后继续用刺刀对付南方。战争结束之前，北方已经在这个问题上产生很大分歧。强硬派的出发点是复杂的，这里有对于积聚了战争仇恨的南方力量的忧虑，有对于“叛乱方”是否会卷土重来的担心，也有对于战后南方的黑人处境的关怀。而采取强硬立场的依据，就是战争本身造成的非常状态。美国是一个强调理性的国家，而战争本身是一个无理可讲的非常状态。既然已经连打仗了，在战后再持续“非常”一段，似乎也应该可以接受了。 可是，林肯总统却坚持要善待战后的南方，以林肯为代表的温和派的基本观点就是，在南方表示愿意回到美国的前提下，让南方在立法上完成废奴，然后，对南方不作任何追究。逐渐把南方还给南方人，尽快回到战前美国的正常状态。 两派观点的对立非常严重，以致于今天美国的史学界还普遍有一种讲法，就是，在林肯总统被暗杀的消息传来之后，真正感到高兴的并不是南方，而是北方极端的强硬派。因为林肯总统显然在北方民众中，有他的个人魅力和威望。假如他要坚持一个温和做法的话，推行的可能性显然就要大的多。而现在，温和派等于是大旗被砍，群龙无首了。 然而，谁也没有想到，一点不起眼的副总统安德鲁.约翰逊，在顶上林肯的总统职位之后，不但坚持了林肯对南方的温和态度概念论又称“温和唯名论”。西欧中世纪关于一般（共，而且在做法上出乎意外的当机立断。在他上台之后，趁着国会休会期间，断然推行温和的战后措施。例如，在效忠美国的誓言之下，对南方所有的叛乱参与者不予追究，而且依然具有公民权。这就意味着他们还是具有选举与被选举权。在这一时期，南方各州几乎都有了总统临时任命的州长，州议会也都废除了原来战前退出美国的宣言，并作出了废奴的决议。当年通过了废除奴隶制的美国宪法第十三修正案。温和的结果是，南北战争结束只有六个多月，在新一届的美国国会选举之后，当初南方“邦联”的副总统，就是我提到过的，战前林肯总统给他写信的那个亚力山大·斯第芬，已经作为南方国会议员团的代表，带了一群“昔日叛军”的新议员们，重返美国国会了。北方的国会议员们普遍不能咽下这口气去。尽管国会多数成员和总统一样，同属共和党，可是他们之间的尖锐矛盾就这样开始了。 此后以强硬派为主的国会与温和派的总统几乎是对着干的。国会开始一系列的立法，推行他们对南方的强硬做法，比如说，由联邦军队进驻，把整个南方划为几个大军区，每个军区有一名司令员，参与一定的政府管理，有一点半军管的味道，实行宵禁等措施。就在这一时期，国会还通过了美国历史上非常重要的宪法第十四修正案。一般来说，人们提到这个宪法修正案，首先注意到的是，就是这条法案历史性地确立黑人的公民权。至此以后，黑人的公民权问题在法律上彻底解决了。这确实非常重要。你从我以前的信里，已经非常熟悉了美国的常态运作方式，从此以后，在进一步解决种族问题的时候，美国的精神主流再要向前推进的话，就有了扎实的宪法基础。平等自由原则在各个不同种族的实行，有了本质性的进步。 然而，人们在提到美国宪法第十四修正案的时候，常常忽略它的后半部分。这也是很自然的，因为这后半部分的历史重要性远不能和它的前半部分相比。那只是一个战后的措施，时间性非常强。战后的重建时期一过，这条修正案的后半部分就随着它的历史时效的过去，自动走入历史，不再起作用了。可是在当时，这是强硬派的国会与总统对着干的一个重要法案。因为宪法修正案后半部分规定，凡是曾经宣誓拥护宪法，后来又从事反叛的，均不得再进入国会，竞选总统，以及担任联邦或州的文职和军职官员。在当时，第十四修正案这半部分所引起的震撼并不比前半部分小。因为，这等于是剥夺了南方最主要一批精英的公职权和部分公民权利。 由于对于处理战后南方问题这样两种态度的存在，使得美国南北战争之后的南方重建，经历了一些摇摆。可是，我们看到，不论温和也罢机械论的医学哲学观的建立作出了贡献。20世纪70年代，医，强硬也罢，如果相对于其它国家发生的各种内战，它的处理方式和结果，都是不可思议的。战争结束以后，没有出现对失败一方的任何惩罚行为。即使是所谓强硬派，没有镇压和清算“叛军”和“叛国贼”，更不要说因此产生的大规模错杀了。 两种不同态度的争执，引起了不同的“南方重建”措施。普遍认为，强硬的国会一方更为关注黑人的利益，而温和派则有“代表南方奴隶主利益”之嫌。看到这样的评论，我有时会感到疑惑。我怀疑的并不是国会所代表的多数北方民众，对于南方黑人处境的深切关怀，因为事实上，这样的关怀完全符合北方一贯表现的对于黑人的同情，符合他们历来的人道诉求，他们的行为是符合逻辑的。说是林肯的后任安德鲁.约翰逊总统有类似奴隶主对黑人的种族歧视和偏见，我想也不能说就没有可能，因为对黑人有偏见在北方也同样存在。可是如果说，作为坚定温和派的林肯总统，坚持他善待的主张也是为了“代表南方奴隶主的利益”我是不大相信的。我所疑惑的是，如果我们不去考虑这两个方面态度的主观意愿的话，到底什么样的处理方式，对于历史进步是事实上有效的呢？ 这个问题我还得想一想再给你聊。今天就先写到这儿。 wish it is good! Linda