“Negotiations to Avert the Civil War? Trump Suggests it…But Historians Disagree!

Historians and experts are demanding President Donald Trump retract his recent statements that a second Civil War could have been “negotiated.” In a recent campaign rally in Georgia, the President made the off-hand remarks that, given certain changes, the four-year civil war could have been avoided. He followed this up with a statement that current political events – namely the current political dispute – were similar to what could have started the war. Experts in the field of American history have quickly stepped forward to rebuke President Trump’s statements. “This statement not only displays a dangerous lack of understanding of the history of the Civil War and of the disagreements and injustices that led to it in the first place,” said historian Ken Burnstein, who teaches at Duke University, “but it also glosses over the human cost of such a conflict.” Not to mention, noted historian Michael Lesano of Yale University, that “negotiation” at the time was not always possible for the slave-owning states, given the dominance of a very few members of the population, and the intricate political system of the South at the time. What’s more, Civil War expert Dr. Rebecca Burns of the University of California noted that President Trump’s statements diminish the reason why the war was fought in the first place, “namely the people’s call for freedom and equality.” “They show a real disrespect for the countless people, both black and white, who fought and died to end the bondage of slavery,” said Burns. “To say the Civil War could have been avoided with simple ‘negotiation’ is insulting to the sacrifices of those heroes.” The Civil War was fought over pressing social issues, and although it cannot be denied that politics played a role in the lead up to the conflict, many of the political decisions were based on societal divisions and cultural norms. To suggest that it could have been avoided is an oversimplification of a complex and large-scale event, and one that deeply affected the lives of millions of people. By revising history in this manner, President Trump is not only doing a disservice to the memory of those who fought in the Civil War, but he is also doing a disservice to its memory by elevating the narrative of a potential resolution through negotiation.