Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilyclub
But they were pardoned, just like FALN and SDS terrorists.
President Andrew Johnson took no chances. On Christmas Day 1868, he pardoned former Confederates from the crime of treason, thwarting vengeful Northerners, Lost Cause Southerners and headline writers all over the country.
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I find our current divisiveness similar to what life after the civil war must have been like.
Roughly 10% of our population, of military age, fought in the war. Vets were a common sight missing arms, legs eyes etc. Lincoln wanted to welcome the south back into the union. Lincoln was murdered and Johnson became president. Johnson wanted vengeance. Part of how we got to where we are today.
Pardons and history. Germany lost WWI the French who suffered the greatest number of casualties in WWI wanted and got vengeance. The result was WWII. At the end of WWII they hung a few of the leaders a symbolic gesture. Had they punished all that participated who knows where we would be today. Japan. McArthur abandoned his troops in the Philippines. Leaving my father to experience the Battan death march. He obviously survived. He never spoke about it. McArthur was put in charge of Japan after WWII. He treated them far better than the Japanese treated prisoners, Chinese, Philippines. Some NEED to read about Nan King and Japanese germ warfare, or the fact that they had a peace delegation talking peace when the aircraft carriers left Japan for the attack on Pearl harbor.
Just as today. Reality is far more complex than what most accept as truth.