American History The Reconstruction exacerbated the regional differences between the northern and southern states. The exact conflicts that led to the Civil War in the first place remained for decades after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox, and shortly after President Lincoln was shot dead. The Reconstruction project illuminated the still-existing conflicts between Lincoln's successor Andrew Johnson and the Republican congress. Johnson attempted to straddle the fence and simultaneously appease the South while banishing slavery. In so doing, Johnson supported the so-called Black Codes, which perpetrated the practice of slavery under a different name. Although the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments marked major improvements for former slaves, the Radical Republicans in Congress hoped for a stricter attitude toward the rebel states. Thus the Reconstruction conflict weakened the credibility of the federal government and thwarted progress for African-Americans.

The overall tone of the Reconstruction period in American history closely mimics that of modern-day Iraq. The 2004 presidential election demonstrated in living color the sectionalism that divides the nation. Maps of the United States during the election campaign showed the red vs. The blue as if it were a game of checkers. One hundred and fifty years earlier, similar regional differences divided the Union. The exact geographic boundaries were different in the nineteenth century, but the sentiments are the same. Liberal values, those which are espoused by the blue states and by urban centers in America, can be likened to abolitionist values. Likewise, conservative values, attributed to Middle America red states, can be likened to the plantation...

The United States seems more ideologically divided than it has been since the Civil War: issues even unrelated to Iraq seem to be more divisive than they would have been otherwise. For example, social topics like gay marriage symbolize the regional differences that drove apart the nation in the 1860s as well as today.
3. Present-day urban centers are wellsprings of creativity and new thought. In spite of the widespread violence that characterizes life in the United States, American urban centers thrive on diversity and differences of opinion. Such differences are not tolerated as well in smaller towns in America. Therefore, the very notion that cities need to be "saved" is spurious. In fact, the suburbs of American cities seem to be the most depraved places to live: car culture, lack of natural environment, lack of community cohesion, and segregation mark the nature of modern suburbia and it is doubtful that suburban culture can be saved.

4. Large urban centers are viable in the future of the United States. In fact, the last remaining bastions of civilization in the nation are in the large cities of America: in San Francisco, New York, and Miami. Although urban life has its drawbacks, the diversity and tolerance that characterizes urban as opposed to rural or suburban life is promising. Urban centers are rich in cultural life, in economic opportunity, in ethnic and cultural…