PrintNovember 26, 2009
Days of Thanksgiving Past
Thanksgiving 2009 finds many Americans doubting that our republic can survive and wondering whether we truly have that much to be thankful for these days. God forgive our pettiness. Whether we acknowledge it joyfully, admit it grudgingly, or stick our heads in the sand and deny it, Americans are as blessed today as ever. Consider past Thanksgivings.In 1859, one hundred and fifty years ago, America was divided over the issue of slavery as it has never been before or since. Dred Scott, the ghastly Supreme Court decision two years earlier, made it almost impossible to conceive of an end to slavery without grave trauma. One year later, America would endure a bitter presidential election. The winner, Abraham Lincoln, got only about forty percent of the popular vote, and he was not even listed on the ballot in most states in the South. The ocean of fratricidal blood in the war following Lincoln's election would be the worst thing to happen in America's history. For decades after the Civil...(Read Full Article)
