I agree with your last point. I think that the Lost Cause Ideology has white’s feeling victimized when they should not. I believe that if the situation in Colfax was considered an act of self-defence there would be more room for debate on this topic, however, with it recognized as a massacre, it is understandable why the government felt it…[Read more]

I appreciate how you worded your second paragraph. I agree with your points there but I think you did a great job describing it. With that, I think your take on the Celtic thesis is striking. You bring up a solid point when you say that these arguments are “…largely unprovable,” but nonetheless I found the Celtic thesis to be compelling.

Your blog post was very thorough and exhaustive and I found it to be really useful in referencing some of your points when I do my own post because you hit very some very crucial ones. With that, you covered some important points in your assessment of the war. It’s interesting how the South only needed to play a defensive war, yet they found…[Read more]

I appreciate the simplicity of your post. I think you do a great job explaining the topic in fewer words and I appreciate that. I also agree with your final point that they appropriately balanced civil and military authority in winning the war. I think if this Dictator-like mentality towards policy and politics continued after the war it would…[Read more]

I think having a section on the medial perspective of things throughout the battle would be really interesting! When I wrote my post that was something I did not even consider but it must have been such an important aspect of it. I agree, I think the information on that section should not be too difficult to find— but perhaps a little more d…[Read more]

I appreciate how simply put your summary of Grady McWhiney’s thesis was. It was concise and I think you put it in better words than I could have. I also like how much focus you put on the south’s lack of defensive tactics. Obviously playing the offence is a lot more interesting and “easy” for one to immediately shoot towards, but, as you…[Read more]

I appreciate how you mentioned that almost only half of the Confederacy’s population was white. These numbers make all the difference when looking at the war. I think it’s also worth considering the numbers with a grain of salt, for many of the African Americans living in the south also left to be captured by the north, as seized property, and…[Read more]

I like how you brought up that woman had to “…overcome the barrier of having to complete physical labour.” That was something that I overlooked when writing my post for this and its an especially important point when looking at how woman were also forced back to their domestic roles at the end of the war. I think that ladder point is also…[Read more]

I think you did a great job summarizing Ratner & Teeter’s thesis in an easily understandable way. I also appreciate that you brought up how state newspapers “…would only write about what was happening in their own states because by the time information from other states had been received it may have been weeks or months later.” This is an i…[Read more]

I appreciate you bringing up the liberty party in response to the second question. That was something that I did not think about and totally forgot about, however, it is an important way that African American’s could get their voices out to a wider audience. I also appreciate how you brought up the hypocrisy of slave owners in terms of religion…[Read more]