Tony Horwitz's exploration of Civil War legacy in the American South

Confederates of the Attic

Confederates in the attic: Dispatches from the unfinished civil war

The Confederates of the Attic is about the civil war in America. The writer of the book 'Tony Howrtiz', who takes a long journey to the south, gives a detailed encounter of the civil war especially from the southern side. This is a true story of the writer's encounter in the southern battlefields. The writer, driven by his childhood passion of the civil war, decides to search for people and various places that may still contain information about the civil war. Howrtiz captures the outcome of the civil war as perceived by both the white and blacks. He gives the distinction in the way of life between 1860s and 1900. Although the war ended, and the union is still maintained, significant issues of inequality and racial injustices have not yet found a solution.

Both the white and blacks feel separated by the central government. Blacks feel the inhuman activities like slavery have not ended but the tactics are the only thing has changed. Ethnicity and economic imbalance exist in the south. In his mission in the battlefields and the society of the south, Howrtiz realizes the perception that the southerners are uneducated lot, and there is much segregation in the society. Whites in the south revere the civil war rebel flag, but the blacks see it as a symbol of hatred, segregation and a sign of the white superiority. Howrtiz takes a one-year journey in exploring the civil war and its effect to the society today. He explores how people perceive the war and how it shapes the history of America. He tries to find the answers to questions such as, how does the civil war shape the religious views of the people in the south? He also tries to figure out how the civil war increased the segregation to the people of America.

Reflections

2. Insights and religious values about the South from the story

The Sothern people have embraced both Christianity and Jewish religions. This does not bring separation in the society and in most cases, the two sets of believers worship together either in the synagogue or in church (Howrtiz 24). The Southern people are more receptive to religion than the North. By mid 1900s, there were many Jews people in the South than North. Although letter, Horwtiz points out that the Jews are intolerable and the immigration authority restrict their movement. Irrespective of the civil war, religion has been a uniting factor to the people of the south.

People honor the civil war fighters. They still commemorate the soldiers on the Memorial Day and acknowledge their heroes effort. According to Howrtiz, although they southerners lose they are all free." I look at the war from a freedom standpoint. One side won, the other lost, and we became free as a result" (Howrtiz 30). Racial segregation exists in the South. The blacks and whites do not participate together in many functions. There is tension between the two races and both fear each other's presence in any scenario. In his interviews, Howrtiz finds that, in schools, all races are present. The blacks are present in politics too. The difference comes in social aspects of the society where color still separates the people. An insight to the South shows how the societies interact, and share their cultural aspects and ideas. The societies in the South reenact and associate their history to the present day life. Very little or nothing changed due to the current life style and the introduction of technology.

3. An understanding of how the role of social force selected above plays in developing the social values in the South.

All religions are equal and have a significant role in uniting people. People of the south embraced both Christianity and Jewish religions. Although the Jews are later moved away from the society, they stayed without conflict with Christians. The social value developed in this work is religious unity and its importance in bringing social cohesion. Equality of all people in the society is another value developed. All people are equal before God. Social, political and economic segregation of one race because of color does not unite the society. The whites in the south feel superior to the blacks and subject them to slavery and other forms of separation. This brings hatred and tension in the society and it is ungodly.

Equality as a social value aims to unite people in a society and bring them together in harmony. Equality does not care the color of a person. Another social force is patriotism. The people of the south dedicated their lives to protect the society from the Northern invasion. This social value helped build the society in the south and take the defeat as a way of obtaining their freedom. The Southern people have also embraced their culture and much of it does not change due to today's life style. Culture is a social value that contributes a lot to the rebuilding of the society. Through their history, the Southerners identify mistakes and make their society a better place to live.

4. Lessons obtained from the confederates in the attic by Tony Howrtiz

The civil war has a special lesson for America. The civil war stands out to be a war that unites the people of America. The war preserved the union of the states and brought freedom to the people. From the work of Howrtiz, an individual learns the importance of unity as a nation. The work covers the racial segregation that took place immediately after the war, where one race feels superior to the other. One learns the importance of equality to all races and equal economic resource allocation to all in the nation. Through this work, we learn the history of the nation. We get to know how a society can use its past to build themselves and their future.

We learn how religion plays a big role in uniting people. All religious beliefs are equal before God. They do not to divide people in a particular society. From the work, the writer explains how Christians and Jews worshiped and pray together and stay in harmony. The work of Howrtiz also captures the southern cultures and traditional ways of living. This changes an individual perception of the southern part of the nation, and the importance of embracing cultures. The work changes individual aspects. From a religious point-of-view, we learn how the church and beliefs either unite or separate the people. History as a nation is important as it helps us focus on the future and avoid the past mistakes.

No race is superior to the other; we are all equal before God. Slavery is evil, personal interest and desires should not subject into slavery. Religion points out to those who suffered and died for the cause of the confederacy. Their effort was for the cause of religion. The southerners consider them as their heroes and a focus of devotion. We have to be patriotic to the nation and be ready to defend and protect it.

Reference

Howrtiz, T. Confereates in the Attic: Dispatches from the unfinished civil war. New York:

Vintage Books.1998. Print