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Essays

assassins and civil war

Assassins, for those of you who do not know, is a musical by Steven Sondheim. It follows the acts of each assassin who killed or attempted to kill a President. It is one of my favorite musicals, and one I would die to see. But, that is not why I am writing this.

The first assassin we meet is John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. This song has forever changed my view of Lincoln. In school, I was taught he was a "good" man, a man who freed the slaves from the tyrannical hand of the Southern Oppressors.

*smiles* But I have learned, in my many years since school, that history is written by the winners and the martyrs, and rarely contains any truth to it.

Part of the scene with Booth includes his attempt to recite the reasons why he killed Lincoln:

An indictment. Of the former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, who is herein charged with the following High Crimes and Misdemeanors. One: That you did ruthlessly provoke a war between the States which cost some six hundred thousand of my countrymen their lives. Two: That you did silence your critics in the North by hurling them into prison without benefit of charge or trial.

Now, he's cut off by the balladeer before we get to hear the rest of it, but that gives you the gist. And what I've come to learn over the years is that these are both valid charges. Lincoln did, in fact, provoke the South into attacking through tariffs and blockades and refusing to recognize the right of the states to secede just as Britian refused to allow the colonies to secede. Furthermore, he was the first president to suspend the constitutional writ of habeus corpus, allowing him to issue federal warrants for individuals without giving a charge, and to hold them indefinitely without access to legal counsel.

What we don't hear often is that Lincoln himself owned several slaves, and only made the gesture of freeing them a matter of days before the Emancipation Proclamation -- one of the finest examples of spin and propaganda ever written. You see, the North was losing the war and Lincoln was quickly losing popular support. One decisive victory could turn the tide, but his troops were tiring and too spread out to accomplish it. So, in a genius stroke of public relations, Lincoln set the precedent that George W. Bush has followed so well -- he changed the reasons for the war. No longer was the Civil War being fought over droll and mundane issues like states' rights or overhanded federal control; now it was being fought to free the opressed masses from the hands of their cruel masters!

And it worked so well that probably 95% of people would list 'slavery' as the primary cause for the Civil War, despite the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation wasn't issued until three years after the war began. It makes you wonder if in fifty years anyone will even remember the phrase "weapons of mass destruction" or that the failure to find any forced Bush to shift the focus to "liberation" to keep from losing support for the war.

But anyway, back to Lincoln. Slavery wasn't an issue in the Civil War primarily because the North relied on the goods that the slaves produced -- mainly cotton and sugar. The "Triangle Trade" would never have worked so well without the rum (which was dependent on the molasses produced in the South from the sugar harvested mainly by slaves) and other manufactured goods coming out of the North or the ships out of Boston Harbor that carried the slaves back to the South after trading for them (and of course, trucking the gold from the slave auctions back to the North afterwards). Just because the North didn't own slaves as a general rule (so we're told), that doesn't mean they were averse to profitting from slave labor indirectly.

But suddenly the Union army found themselves in need of a banner to rally behind. And since "Increased Government Control Over State Assemblies!" was apparently too long to fit on the flag, Lincoln was quick to push "Free the Slaves!" as a palatable alternative. It was a calculated move, since Lincoln reasoned (correctly, as it turned out) that the freed slaves would be so grateful that they would take up arms against their former oppressors in the South.

Of course, if it hadn't worked so well, the CSA History class would be teaching about Lincoln's "last desperate gambit" instead of US History classes around the country teaching about Lincoln's "passionate plea for human decency".

Taking all the facts into account, it's not so difficult to see Lincoln as Booth saw him, as a heavy-handed dictator crushing independent thought and free enterprise to suit his own agenda. The words he cried out after he fired the fatal shot say it all: Sic Semper Tyrannis -- 'thus be it always to tyrants'. A sentiment that was echoed in the words of George W Bush upon the capture of Saddam Hussein.

But history paints Booth as a traitor, while Bush is hailed as a hero. The winners write the history books with the blood of the losers. It's always been this way.

Just something to think about next time you hear the words "fair and balanced news reporting".

One of the lines the balladeer sings after John kills himself in the play is: "How could you do it, Johnny, Calling it a cause? You left a legacy Of butchery And treason we Took eagerly, And thought you'd get applause."

But, the same can be said about Lincoln. About Bush. Men the country put their trust into, and men who used spite, power, money, and blood to bend the world to their will. No, I don't damn Booth for killing Lincoln. I never will. I think he did do the country a favor. The Civil War did end.

But he was right.

The country was not what it was.

And now, I say the same. Once Bush has left office, once this war of his is over, the country will not be what it was. It can never be the hope it was...

I will end this with Booth's final words in his scene, right before he dies...

How the country is not what it was,
Where there's blood in the clover,
How the nation can never again
Be the hope that it was.

How the bruises may never be healed,
How the wounds are forever,
How we gave up the field
But we still wouldn't yield,

How the Union can never recover
From that vulgar,
High and mighty
Niggerlover,
Never--!

Never. Never. Never.
No, the country is not what it was...

Damn my soul if you must,
Let my body turn to dust,
Let it mingle with the ashes of the country.

Let them curse me to hell,
Leave it to history to tell:
What I did, I did well,
And I did it for my country.

Let them cry, "Dirty traitor!"
They will understand it later --
The country is not what it was...


	Disclaimer This site contains content of an adult nature, both in written and graphical versions. If you are under the age of consent in your city, state, country, or province, please click here and exit the site. Site Map home lotr fanfiction elvish rants inspiration artwork links Section Links Canon vs AU/Non-Canon Children and Music The Civil War Debunking Evil!Thranduil Elven Haircolor 101 Elvish Names 101 Elvish Names Continued Elven Population Elven Rebirth Fanon, Part One Free Speech Independence Day Bullshit Musings On The Movie "Supersize Me" The Mysterious Glorfindel Nazi Germany Symbols and Words Voting Rights Act Who Is Gildor Inglorion? Why Gay Christian Is Not An Oxymoron		Essays assassins and civil war Assassins, for those of you who do not know, is a musical by Steven Sondheim. It follows the acts of each assassin who killed or attempted to kill a President. It is one of my favorite musicals, and one I would die to see. But, that is not why I am writing this. The first assassin we meet is John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. This song has forever changed my view of Lincoln. In school, I was taught he was a "good" man, a man who freed the slaves from the tyrannical hand of the Southern Oppressors. smiles But I have learned, in my many years since school, that history is written by the winners and the martyrs, and rarely contains any truth to it. Part of the scene with Booth includes his attempt to recite the reasons why he killed Lincoln: An indictment. Of the former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, who is herein charged with the following High Crimes and Misdemeanors. One: That you did ruthlessly provoke a war between the States which cost some six hundred thousand of my countrymen their lives. Two: That you did silence your critics in the North by hurling them into prison without benefit of charge or trial. Now, he's cut off by the balladeer before we get to hear the rest of it, but that gives you the gist. And what I've come to learn over the years is that these are both valid charges. Lincoln did, in fact, provoke the South into attacking through tariffs and blockades and refusing to recognize the right of the states to secede just as Britian refused to allow the colonies to secede. Furthermore, he was the first president to suspend the constitutional writ of habeus corpus, allowing him to issue federal warrants for individuals without giving a charge, and to hold them indefinitely without access to legal counsel. What we don't hear often is that Lincoln himself owned several slaves, and only made the gesture of freeing them a matter of days before the Emancipation Proclamation -- one of the finest examples of spin and propaganda ever written. You see, the North was losing the war and Lincoln was quickly losing popular support. One decisive victory could turn the tide, but his troops were tiring and too spread out to accomplish it. So, in a genius stroke of public relations, Lincoln set the precedent that George W. Bush has followed so well -- he changed the reasons for the war. No longer was the Civil War being fought over droll and mundane issues like states' rights or overhanded federal control; now it was being fought to free the opressed masses from the hands of their cruel masters! And it worked so well that probably 95% of people would list 'slavery' as the primary cause for the Civil War, despite the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation wasn't issued until three years after the war began. It makes you wonder if in fifty years anyone will even remember the phrase "weapons of mass destruction" or that the failure to find any forced Bush to shift the focus to "liberation" to keep from losing support for the war. But anyway, back to Lincoln. Slavery wasn't an issue in the Civil War primarily because the North relied on the goods that the slaves produced -- mainly cotton and sugar. The "Triangle Trade" would never have worked so well without the rum (which was dependent on the molasses produced in the South from the sugar harvested mainly by slaves) and other manufactured goods coming out of the North or the ships out of Boston Harbor that carried the slaves back to the South after trading for them (and of course, trucking the gold from the slave auctions back to the North afterwards). Just because the North didn't own slaves as a general rule (so we're told), that doesn't mean they were averse to profitting from slave labor indirectly. But suddenly the Union army found themselves in need of a banner to rally behind. And since "Increased Government Control Over State Assemblies!" was apparently too long to fit on the flag, Lincoln was quick to push "Free the Slaves!" as a palatable alternative. It was a calculated move, since Lincoln reasoned (correctly, as it turned out) that the freed slaves would be so grateful that they would take up arms against their former oppressors in the South. Of course, if it hadn't worked so well, the CSA History class would be teaching about Lincoln's "last desperate gambit" instead of US History classes around the country teaching about Lincoln's "passionate plea for human decency". Taking all the facts into account, it's not so difficult to see Lincoln as Booth saw him, as a heavy-handed dictator crushing independent thought and free enterprise to suit his own agenda. The words he cried out after he fired the fatal shot say it all: Sic Semper Tyrannis -- 'thus be it always to tyrants'. A sentiment that was echoed in the words of George W Bush upon the capture of Saddam Hussein. But history paints Booth as a traitor, while Bush is hailed as a hero. The winners write the history books with the blood of the losers. It's always been this way. Just something to think about next time you hear the words "fair and balanced news reporting". One of the lines the balladeer sings after John kills himself in the play is: "How could you do it, Johnny, Calling it a cause? You left a legacy Of butchery And treason we Took eagerly, And thought you'd get applause." But, the same can be said about Lincoln. About Bush. Men the country put their trust into, and men who used spite, power, money, and blood to bend the world to their will. No, I don't damn Booth for killing Lincoln. I never will. I think he did do the country a favor. The Civil War did end. But he was right. The country was not what it was. And now, I say the same. Once Bush has left office, once this war of his is over, the country will not be what it was. It can never be the hope it was... I will end this with Booth's final words in his scene, right before he dies... How the country is not what it was, Where there's blood in the clover, How the nation can never again Be the hope that it was. How the bruises may never be healed, How the wounds are forever, How we gave up the field But we still wouldn't yield, How the Union can never recover From that vulgar, High and mighty Niggerlover, Never--! Never. Never. Never. No, the country is not what it was... Damn my soul if you must, Let my body turn to dust, Let it mingle with the ashes of the country. Let them curse me to hell, Leave it to history to tell: What I did, I did well, And I did it for my country. Let them cry, "Dirty traitor!" They will understand it later -- The country is not what it was...