General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Are you glad that John Brown was hanged? [View all]Cirque du So-What
(25,932 posts)Enjoying the privilege of hindsight, I cannot see any other path to the elimination of slavery in the US that did not involve the spilling of blood, and the raid on Harper's Ferry is probably the catalyst which set in motion the events leading to the Civil War. Throughout that war, there were calls - even from many Republicans of that time - for a compromise which would have preserved slavery in some form, and if slavery had not been completely abolished, other conflicts would have probably occurred at a later date. If the states comprising the confederacy had retained a separate union for an extended period of time, future conflicts would likely have been even more bloody than the original war, as resentments between 'foreigners' grew. Slavery was simply too profitable for that era's 1% to allow its prohibition without a fight.
Even though slavery no longer exists, I see a parallel to the current state of the world economy, where the 1% is amassing wealth at an accelerating rate. Does anyone believe that the 1% would agree to economic reforms without a fight? Although I remain hopeful that nonviolent methods can bring about change, the number of historical examples is pitifully small compared to injustices that were addressed through armed conflict.