The Civil War at 150: What We Really Should Remember

This Memorial Day holds special significance as the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. Americans today remain enthralled with the Civil War, perhaps because of the divided and partisan politics today that resembled that of the 1850s. Does this current phenomenon make the Civil War extra important?

First, let us put to rest a pervasive yet false myth. The War was not about states' rights or caused by it. The war was about slavery. Southerners seceded because they feared for their peculiar institution from the onslaught of Northern industrial capitalism. Northerners too did not want the chattel system to challenge their industries. Before 1860, the South did not secede even when states rights played a big role in the nullification and tariff crises. They only did so when a Republican was elected president and promised to halt slavery's expansion. The myth about states' rights underlying the War only arose after Reconstruction, when Southerners tried to justify secession and of course could no longer use slavery. Let us dispel this myth once and for all, especially in our classrooms.

Second, the Civil War's two fruits are more important than ever today. The War established that America tolerates no classes of citizens. The badges of slavery and racial discrimination were rejected then and still so today. Nonetheless, race remains in our politics and culture. In particular, discrimination against classes of citizens such as gays and homosexuals as well as native-born children of illegal immigrants exist. But the Citizenship and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment plainly prohibits such actions by states. We, especially those in the legal profession, must do more to advance the rights of these disadvantaged persons so that the freedoms that were fought for on the battlefield remain strong in the future.

Moreover, the War taught us that the Union remains above sectional rivalries. Even today, Americans remain patriotic and dedicated to their country. But patriotism means more than attending parades on Memorial Day or singing the anthem at baseball games. Patriotism means talking over our differences and finding a common solutions to America's problems. The caustic rancor on Capitol Hill does not belong. It's time for our leaders and us citizens to have sensible dialogues and listen to one another. We cannot afford another "Civil War" of sorts. While slavery threatened us with moral extinction and almost tore our country apart, let us not allow the national debt and budget crisis to cause our economic extinction. If we work through this ordeal, then those who died for our country from 1861 to 1865, and indeed in all the wars, would be proud.

Corrupt Power, and Our Attraction to It

This week witnessed two powerful men whose personal lives were exposed to the public spotlight. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the IMF and a potential French presidential candidate, faces many counts of sexual crimes. His political career is all but ruined. On the other side of the nation, Arnold Schwarzenegger seems unable to extricate his marriage from media attention, and now the tabloids will be running with details about his child with his housekeeper. Who knows whether the terminator has surfaced too early for Arnold.

Let's not forget that these cases are not atypical. The French, after all, have built a stereotype in promiscuity and sexual indiscretion by their politicians hardly seems news to the French people. Likewise, adultery today probably is a widespread phenomenon, especially among the rich and glamorous. I do not want to ingrain these stereotypes or argue that they are pervasive, but merely wish to point out that what happened should not surprise us.


In fact, our obsession with the rich and powerful and the media's role in reinforcing that obsession has created what we face today. Despite our better senses, we glamorize the rich and powerful to hide our own fears and vices. When they prosper, such as winning elections or propelling the stock market, we elevate them on a pedestal. When they fall, such as immersing in sex scandals, we throw them under a microscope. Unlike a scientist whose microscopic lens helps to define the resolution of the specimen, our lens blurs the problems of the rich and powerful and keeps us blind from our personal turmoils and sins.

Capture of Bin Laden Is Not Mission Accomplished

Like most Americans, I share the joy and relief that Osama bin Laden has been killed. It took ten long years of hunting across two countries, but the armed forces finally took the man down. While bin Laden's death could not replace the loved ones lost on September 11, their families may at least have some solace from the trying ordeal. Furthermore, as President Obama said and promised, the capture of bin Laden represented America's dogged pursuit and determination to bring the War on Terror to a victorious conclusion.

But Osama bin Laden's death is just a milestone and not the end to the War on Terror. Al Qaeda has been living on without his greater presence for a long while, and others will doubtless step into bin Laden's shoes. There are greater challenges facing the U.S. such as extracting intelligence from the captured materials, figuring out Pakistan's role in "hiding" bin Laden so close to Islamabad, and most importantly, making sure another bin Laden does not emerge in the future. I applaud President Obama's decision not to show pictures of bin Laden's body, for it would cause violence and affront Islamic traditions. Even if America pulls out its military from Afghanistan starting this summer, the War on Terror is far from over.