Uncommon History

As I continue to dig deeper into the philosophical, theological and practical arguments that ultimately divided the United States of America in 1860/1861, I am further convinced in my summation that we (the public at large) should remain vigilant and hold our elected leaders accountable. A growing divide is rising in our nation once again and the forces at play are right wing/left wing activists and “radicals” who are attempting to impress their narrow views upon the whole.

A brief look back at history proves that such practice ultimately harms those in the middle as it is that number that typically are the target audience and in the end bear the brunt of the fighting. Those in political and economic power are a marginal few among the congregate number of citizens, yet their well funded campaigns pit us against each other. We can examine the secession fever that swept through the Southern States towards the end of 1860 and into 1861. Let’s take a look at this crisis through the simple, dry bones of numbers:

• The results of the 1860 United States census listed the population at 35,134,110 (which included 3,950,528 slaves).
• Among the States that ultimately seceded, the total population was 12,624,442 (which included 3,521,110 slaves).

(This works out to show that roughly 36% of the population resided in States that would eventually secede)

Representation in the US Congress prior to secession (1860):

• Senators: 66 (36 Democrat – 26 Republican – 4 Other)
• House of Representatives: 237 (92 Democrat – 114 Republican – 31 Other)

State votes on Secession

Not all States held a public referendum on secession, but these are the ones I have found:

• Georgia: For 41,717 Against 42, 744
• Tennessee: For 59,449 Against68,282

Results of Convention Votes For Secession

State	Delegates	Yes	No
SOUTH CAROLINA	169	169	0
MISSISSIPPI	99	84	15
FLORIDA	69	62	7
ALABAMA	100	61	39
GEORGIA	298	209	89
LOUISIANA	130	113	17
TEXAS	158	152	6
VIRGINIA	143	88	55
ARKANSAS	70	69	1
TENNESSEE	91	66	25
NORTH CAROLINA	120	120	0
Total	1447	1193	254

The overall delegate vote would seem to indicate an overwhelming majority of the people of these States were in favor of secession. In articles to follow, we will look closer at just how true that claim may (or may not) have been. Just in the few instances above, the public vote on secession went against the votes of the delegates.

This mere fact sends shivers down my spine when I realize how many people today are screaming that their elected representatives are not truly representing the people that elected them. This is why it is of utmost importance to view history not through a pair of dirty glasses, but rather through a microscope.

When we hand control over to a powerful minority, bad things happen and it is those of us in the middle that suffer the greatest. Those in power usually remain in power once the struggle has come to an end.

Just what does it mean? What does it signify? What will the end result be? On September 11, 2010, many of those questions will be answered when the small congregation at Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida make a huge statement.

If Terry Jones, pastor of Dove World, accomplishes his vision of burning copies of the Koran, there will no doubt be some measure of world-wide repercussion. The scale of which may not yet be fully understood, but it soon shall be.

But what, in the end will be the historical impact of such an event held at a remote location? This is in fact the only reason I feel compelled to include an article about it on Uncommon History.

Tensions between Christians and other faiths such as Islam are certainly nothing new. Endless wars have been and continue to be waged in the name of religion and the only real result has been that people have died and the respective religion’s reputations have been duly marred.

I predict such will be the result in this case. After all, there is no biblical precedent or tenet that points to burning the holy books of another religion. Jesus Christ himself performed no such act and in retrospect, it was the zealots that he concentrated much of his earthly ministry trying to turn back towards true faith. Paul too met with the leaders and pundits of various faith practices and he used the wisdom of words and the illustration of a life well-lived to turn people towards Jesus Christ.

While there is no doubt that tensions exist between members claiming Christianity or Islam, the faithful of both are the ones who suffer from the actions of the extremists. It is hard to imagine the true faith of the Dove World Outreach as their actions not only burn books, they will be burning bridges. Faith is not about destruction, it is about living out a life’s calling and serving the one who has called.