When you think of the longest wars in the history of the world, you immediately look back to wars fought centuries ago. You reach for a time where empires that stretched over continents continuously took over land, or you reach back to a time when religions continuously and relentlessly fought each other in a crusade for religious dominance for centuries. One might also think back to a war with a number attached to it, known as the 100 Years War, which actually lasted 116 years during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The last place that the average person would look to is the present times, where we still fight an ongoing battle within the red, white and blue. This paper will be reflection of the articles given to us, and will further clarify why we are still fighting the Civil War 150 years later. .
After reading the article from Encyclopedia Virginia, titled The Lost Cause, I couldnt help but notice how much pride the former Confederate states still had, even after the war had ended. They were so proud, in fact, that instead of accepting defeat, they went into a state of denial that would last for decades. In this process of denial, the Old South had re-written history, whether intentionally or unintentionally. According to the article, the Lost Cause romanticized the Old South and the Confederate war effort, often distorting history in the process. I could not agree more with that statement, particularly with the words distorting history. Theres the old saying that there are always two sides to the story, and while that is true, sometimes you get one side of the story that isnt really close to the truth at all. The most bizarre thing about it was that the slave owners were actually convinced that the slaves were happy to be there and were faithful slaves. I think that anyone would be faithful to a whip. Also, if these slaves were so faithful, then why didnt the masters reward that faithfulness with better living quarters, or better working conditions? Oblivious doesnt even begin to describe it.