Lessons from Gettysburg

By Dale Weckbacher

When I was in school, I did not understand why they made us study history.  Why would I want to learn about the past?  The past after all is the past and there is nothing we can do about it.  However, as I have grown older I now understand that the reason for studying history is so we can learn from the mistakes of the past and make sure not repeating them. 

This week marked the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  It was a celebration attended by thousands (1) but not the current president.  (2)  Instead, Obama participated in a video recitation of the address but even then failed to recite the address as written by Lincoln by leaving out the words under God.  (3)  Let us take a moment and look at what we can learn from Gettysburg so we are not destined to repeat its mistakes. 

The Battle of Gettysburg was part of the Civil War, a time when the very fabric of our nation was torn in two.  The point of contention dividing our nation that had escalated to hostilities was the issue of slavery.  This issue was a point of contention for our nation from its inception with many of our nation’s founders expressing their abhorrence of slavery.  (4)

Slavery was a hotly debated topic at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  (5) (6)  Liberty was the main theme of the convention but there was disagreement among the members as to the definition of liberty.  A majority, mostly representing northern states, believed in liberty for each individual, which meant the abolition of slavery.  However, some, mostly from the southern states, believed liberty meant protecting the right to own slaves.  Unfortunately, the block of southern states supporting the protection of the right to own slaves prevented a two-thirds majority necessary to adopt the new constitution and language abolishing slavery was dropped from the final draft of the constitution to insure its adoption.  (5)  This contention over slavery continued to escalate and eventually led to succession and the Civil War.

The bloody battle of Gettysburg lasted for three days from July 1 to July 3, 1863.  (7)  The Confederate troops had gained an upper hand in the first two days of the battle.  This led General Lee to believe his troops were on the brink of victory.  On the third day of the battle, Lee only sent in three divisions (preceded by an artillery barrage), or fewer than 15,000 troops.  Under the leadership of George Pickett, (7)  in what would become known as Pickett’s charge, the Confederate troops began their charge starting with the artillery attack.  However, the Union army followed with an artillery barrage of their own.  Barely half of the Confederates survived the Unions barrage and the Confederate troops had to retreat to shore up their defenses after the failed assault.  (7)

This defeat was demoralizing for the Confederacy and even led to General Lee offering up his resignation to President Davis.  President Davis refused his resignation but the damage was done.  The now demoralized Confederate Army retreated to Virginia.  (7)  The now encouraged Union Army was able to go on and defeat the Confederacy, which eventually led to the abolishment of slavery in the Constitution with the adoption of the thirteenth amendment, thus correcting the mistake of the Constitutional Convention’s failure to address the issue in 1787.  (8)  Unfortunately, it took a bloody war and bloody battle at Gettysburg for the leaders of our nation to realize they needed to address this issue. 

Not unlike the divisiveness of the issue of slavery, we are now a nation divided.  Even though many on the liberal left would want us to believe slavery still exists, we have settled that issue legally in our nation as evidenced by the election of the first black president.  The divisiveness of our nation today is class warfare.  Rather than bettering themselves to improve their economic status, many today would rather enlist the help of the government to take income from the producers of our nation and have the government redistribute it to them.  Left unresolved, this divisive issue could lead to another Civil War with those desiring the wealth of the producers of our nation resorting to force to confiscate their wealth.  This is where we must learn from the lessons of the Civil War and deal with this situation now. 

Unfortunately, opportunistic politicians from both parties in Washington DC are empowered and receive votes from those desiring the wealth and income of our nation’s producers.  In the 2012 Presidential election, Republican candidate Mitt Romney was maligned for his comment about the 47%.  In his comment, Romney stated that 47% of Americans pay no income tax.  Romney actually understated the number as the real numbers indicate that more than 50 percent of Americans actually pay no income tax.  (9)  The 2012 election results also demonstrated the accuracy of Romney’s comment with a majority of the nation voting for Obama, the candidate promising more wealth distribution. 

Is it any wonder we see companies and individuals seeking ways to park some of their wealth and income overseas in an effort to escape the liberal progressives wealth distribution strategy in our nation.  So how can we convince the elite in Washington who benefit from this class warfare to change course?  The answer lies in our states. 

Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution allows amendments to the U.S. Constitution through two different methods.  The first method, and the one that has led to all of the current amendments to our constitution, is that by two-thirds vote of the congress, amendments are sent to the states for ratification.  When four-fifths of the states ratify the amendment, it is added to the Constitution.  (8)

However, our founders, envisioning a time in our future when Washington would no longer be in touch with the interests of the citizens, devised a second method for amending the Constitution.  Instead of two thirds of the Congress proposing the amendments, the amendments would be proposed by two thirds of the states at a convention.  These amendments would then be sent to the states and upon four fifths of the states passing the amendments the amendments would become law, thus bypassing Washington DC.  (8)

Mark Levin, in his most recent book “The Liberty Amendments” outlines how this process would work and proposes various amendments for the convention to consider.  I have provided a link to purchase the book from Amazon in the upper right hand portion of this page and highly recommend purchasing and reading the book.  I also understand that the book is available at some public libraries so people can check it out and read it for free. 

In a recent development, this convention may actually become a reality with President Pro Tem, David Long of the Indiana Senate calling for an assembly of state delegations in Mount Vernon on December 7, 2013.  (10)  The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and draft an agenda for a “Convention of the States” to establish rules for an Article V Convention of the States.  This is a good starting point and I urge each of you reading this to petition your state to participate in this gathering for we still have time to end this divisiveness before it escalates into another Civil War. 

1. Fox News. Thousands gather to commemorate 150th anniversary of Gettysburg Address. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, November 19, 2013. [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/11/19/ceremony-will-mark-150th-anniversary-gettysburg-address/.

2. Wolfgang, Ben. Obama diss: President snubs historic Gettysburg 150th anniversary ceremony. m.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, October 31, 2013. [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/31/obama-no-show-gettysburg-150th-anniversary-fete/.

3. O'Connor, Larry. OBAMA REMOVES 'GOD' FROM GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, November 19, 2013. [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/11/19/Obama-Removes-God-From-Gettysburg-Address.

4. Barton, David. The Founding Fathers and Slavery . www.wallbuilders.com. [Online] Wall Builders, July 2011. [Cited: November 2013, 2013.] http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=122.

5. Confederate Past Present and Future. The Gathering Storm Debate Over Slavery at the Constitutional Convention, August 21-22, 1787. www.confederatepastpresent.org. [Online] [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://www.confederatepastpresent.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:debate-over-slavery-at-the-constitutional-convention-august-21-22-1787-&catid=41:the-gathering-storm.\

6. The Constitutional Convention of 1787. law2.umkc.edu. [Online] [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/convention1787.html.

7. The History Channel. Battle of Gettysburg. www.history.com. [Online] The History Channel. [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://www.history.com/topics/battle-of-gettysburg.

8. Hillsdale College. The Constitution of the United States of America. [book auth.] Hillsdale College. The U.S. Constitution: A Reader. Hillsdale MI : Hillsdale College Press, 2012.

9. Hobson, Jeremy. The numbers behind Mitt Romney's 47% comment. www.marketplace.org. [Online] Marketplace Campaign Trail, September 18, 2012. [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://www.marketplace.org/topics/elections/campaign-trail/numbers-behind-mitt-romneys-47-comment.

10. Kelly, Niki. Long pushes 'Mount Vernon Assembly'. www.journalgazette.net. [Online] The Journal Gazette, November 14, 2013. [Cited: November 23, 2013.] http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131114/LOCAL0202/131119679.