Is this the most
difficult of times for Americans? As a comparison, let’s look at two earlier
periods in our history.
On this date 150
years ago, the Civil War finally came to an end as General Robert E. Lee
surrendered to U. S. Grant at Appomattox, Virginia. About 620,000 men had died
during the previous four years of fighting, all on American soil. Almost
another half million men had been wounded. Many cities in the country were
devastated waste lands. And four million former slaves were free, but where
could they live and what was to become of them?
Such wars have long
lasting effects on society. The Civil War created hundreds of thousands of
widows and orphans. Among soldiers on both sides, doctors estimated that there
were 60,000 amputees, which meant that tens of thousands of men had to adjust
to a different way of life after the war.
The national debt
had exploded to $2.7 billion, and some wondered if the country would ever pay
that debt. But because of limited government after the war and frugal budgets,
two-thirds of the national debt was paid in the next 28 years. With a society
that valued inventions and entrepreneurs, the United States became the world
leader in industrial production…..To Read More….
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