April 12/13 is the anniversary of the siege on Fort Sumter. Confederate forces around Charleston Harbor led by General P.G.T. Beauregard opened fire on the Union garrison. By 2:30pm on April 13 Major Robert Anderson, garrison commander,
surrendered the fort and was evacuated the next day. Thus began the hostilities of the Civil War.
Those familiar with the myriad complicating factors that led to the war between the states recognize that many of them are still at play today: from economic disparity to racial division to subtle (and not-so-subtle) ethnic strife at play on the American scene.
It has been frightening to see such difficult issues and negative perspectives come to the fore not just during the current primary season, but because of it. No one can tell exactly what is to be next: who will be the party nominees for the presidency? Will a third-party contender emerge after the conventions? Will the ugly violence and vituperation that has marked the campaigns so far continue?
I think we are undergoing somewhat of a new Civil War, and I'm not sure how we wage the battle for peace.
I agree. I think it's so scary to see what is going on with elections and politics this year. To compare to another dark moment in history, I spent two months during the fall in Europe, mostly in Germany, and I got a stark reminder of what one politician can do to destroy a country. I certainly hope the US is not following that lead ... but it scares me to see how much our politics have in common with pre-WWII-era Germany.
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