Was the Civil War About Slavery? - PragerU Reaction

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#history #reaction

[@Bombadil-ez9ns]

The Civil War was a front to get rid of all the vampires. It was well-documented in a historical narrative called "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter".

[@sageof6pandas233]

This is historically and scientifically true

[@Bombadil-ez9ns]

@sageof6pandas233 Exactly! Just look around. Do you see any vampires? No! You can thank honest Abe for that.

[@pinkkashhh3125]

Facts

[@ak9989]

So true that history is now coming out😮

[@ak9989]

Thanks Abe!

[@snappyaj9053]

This is still a hard topic for a lot of southerners, I think mainly because we don’t want to believe our ancestors were the bad guys. But doing my own research for months and months, eventually finding your videos, this one, and “Checkmate Lincolnites!” among others I had to admit my view was wrong. We’ve been lied to for generations. The Daughters of the Confederacy poisoned our education system and southern Democrats crafted an apologetic “lost cause” narrative we were all too eager to believe. I’m descended from a Confederate conscript, I have family who died for the south, but I took the time to do my own research to find the truth. Thanks for being part of that journey.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

Just don't identify yourself with the Confederacy and wave around the Confederate flag and you'll be fine. History is history, so long as you don't tie your identity towards it, the truth shouldn't be a problem.

[@ikematthews6866]

I also think we need to inject morality as well, yes the north had some slavery etc but relatively speaking the north was moral and the south wasn’t.

[@CursedAnqxl]

our ancestors were bad people? ohh so that is why some african americans hate us for who we are today, even though none of us were alive during those times. wait but I don't even know my ancestors, what happens then? eh, doesn't matter. the people that will hate us for being white will still hate us regardless. [edit] this comment is out of place but I love chaos.

[@snappyaj9053]

@@ikematthews6866 that’s too simplistic and ignores the nuance of human existence. It’s too easy to sit back and judge the past with todays eyes and knowledge. Southerners had generations reinforcing the tribalism of racial slavery. EVERY society in human history has experienced some form of slavery; that doesn’t make them wholly evil.

[@swirvinbirds1971]

Heck... Even today it can be hard to admit when the US does something wrong. Thank God we still live in a country where we can criticize our actions.

[@mrppbutt3643]

Listening to non-Wisconsinites pronounce wisconsin town names is always gold

[@nickelpower5]

Never gets old! Meh-Nah-Moe-Knee is how I've always heard it, VTH!

[@JulianDestroya]

Came to the comments for this. Didn't even watch the video until after I replayed him say "Meh-no-mo-nee" at least 5 or 6 times.

[@Taskicore]

Same lol our towns are foreign even to English speakers

[@trentonebel9088]

As a Wisconsinite, I approve this message.

[@JRob1125]

I literally screamed laughing 😂

[@JGSmith82]

I always thought that slavery in America was called our "peculiar institution" because it was SO STRANGE that such a thing as slavery would be tolerated in a nation that was literally founded upon the "self-evident" moral and legal principle that "all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." ...after all, "peculiar" is a synonym for strange, right? But, I was wrong....."peculiar institution" really just refers to the fact that slavery was an institution related to the rights of supposed private property. "Peculium" is the Latin word for property, it evolved from the older Latin term "pecu" which meant "cattle"....and "peculiar", in that sense, simply means "related to property."

[@jordanpax9735]

That's quite interesting and has a certain sense of irony, given the words relation to strange and pecu. But given that it's roots are in Latin the language of that empire of slaves in not surprised

[@jbftcmof]

You can also see it in pecuniary rights today!

[@jacobb17]

It might be called that as to be a double meaning. It's "peculiar" in our understanding of the word for the reasons you said in your comment, but also peculiar in that it's "related to property" since slaves were treated like property.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Yes.

[@tedgey4286]

Peculiar institution referred to the fact that slavery in it's southern form was peculiar or unique to the south

[@stokerino1905]

Me when I see the thumbnail: "Oh no." VTH first words: "What am I doing to myself?" Let's all suffer together. 😅

[@richardvye9958]

The comments after these types of videos @-@

[@frostyframe]

I literally laughed so loud XD

[@merrold4233]

I just said that word for word as i clicked on this lmao

[@StevenSendak]

To be fair, this video isn't remotely as cringe-worthy as the one with Candace Owens, so there really isn't much to suffer through. In fact, I have a least one relative in the Florida panhandle who thinks "the liberals must have gotten to PragerU" because this one is pretty transparent about the factors behind the war and doesn't peddle Lost Cause narrative.

[@Sparrows1121]

No pain no gain

[@KingstonHawke]

Haven’t seen your reaction yet, but if this is the video I’m thinking of, it’s probably PragerU’s most honest video ever. I was actually surprised when I watched it for the first time. And that comment section was hilarious. Their audience did not like it.

[@baseupp12]

It's always great when a biast organization or individual makes a video or comment thats actually honest and goes against their usual points and their supporters turn on them. You created the mob, now it's turning against you.

[@s.henrlllpoklookout5069]

That's what I thought watching this video (haven't seen the original yet). Then the Colonel had to go & ruin it by saying "Prager University"

[@GiannaTelvanni]

very rare Prager U W

[@TrevorHollowed]

This is the biggest paradox that PragerU has to grapple with. Part of their need to carry water for the modern GOP agenda means they have to promote the party’s plausible deniability against racism by reminding everyone that Lincoln freed the slaves and he was a Republican, so there’s absolutely no way the modern Republican Party can ever do anything that’s considered racist against African Americans. Except of course that the overwhelming majority of PragerU’s audience falls between being Lost Causers and NeoConfederates based on how many of them got big mad at this video.

[@theboard3476]

Agree. Had the same reaction given the history of their content.

[@grfu08]

This appears to be one of the few occasions PragerU has an actual professor in a video, so I'm not surprised he's actually honest.

[@billbissenas2973]

There are many with professors

[@wammu2429]

This is exactly why PragerU put out this video. I’m not saying they are always seeking out a certain agenda, but any group seeking recognition will try to appease everyone. (Hopefully) This is a topic everyone can agree on but just like the other side, we can’t say that “oh they said this, so everything else they say must be from this perspective”. If you listen to many of their arguments in other videos they clearly take on other biases (again, not saying this is bad or wrong) but these kinds of videos exist for a specific purpose.

[@iabgunner8701]

@@wammu2429 yeah, they specifically make these types of videos to try and get teens to fall down the rabbit hole. This isn’t just a vague theory either. PragerU has pushed very hard for homeschooling using specifically their own custom made curriculum.

[@Tony51929]

@@iabgunner8701they believe in homeschooling more because of the failure of the education system,although I wouldn’t homeschool my kids in todays schools, I totally understand why some people do

[@dawoifee]

@@billbissenas2973 Often they have people with academic decrees but if you look them up sometimes in an entirly different field, and/or they haven't published anything in decades and never thought anywere. So they use them to appeal to Authority.

[@JKribbit]

Was expecting "Welcome back everybody to another episode of..." but instead got "what am I doing to myself?" Not disappointed

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Yes. And thank God that it ended that monstrous practice in the US

[@First-Name--Last-Name]

No

[@stc3145]

It did not end enough. The freedmen were still treated like slaves

[@Byzant7]

@@First-Name--Last-Nameyes, it definitely was about slavery

[@Godslayer5656]

Unfortunately it didn’t quite end the practice entirely. There is still that clause in the 13th Amendment that allows Slavery to still be a punishment for Crime.

[@Magnustopheles]

​@@Godslayer5656 "Slavery was abolished, unless you are imprisoned, you think I am bulls**tting than read the 13th amendment. Involuntary servitude and slavery it prohibits, that's why they're giving drug offenders time in double digits." -Killer Mike

[@marcelostalker]

I basically just agreed with a whole PragerU video. That feels weird.

[@orionriftclan2727]

Ya, when I heard the guy say "It was about slavery" I was like, WAIT WHAT, A PragerU video actually saying something true is wild

[@Andrewy27]

​@@orionriftclan2727well, it's probably because you have a bias towards certain topics that they talk about

[@user-ck8zz9go4i]

I feel like i need a shower....I was preparing to be angry....This was a truthful video...Heads are going to roll at PragerU... you cant have this kind of truth improving the minds of our "saps"...errr "followers"

[@emirbujaidar831]

For what I see, they make some videos the way the client tell them to do them

[@_veikkomies]

​@@Andrewy27Most PragerU videos are absolute garbage that spread misinformation.

[@HolyknightVader999]

I remember that even the Southerners during the Civil War were openly saying that their war was to preserve their right to hold slaves, since they openly admitted that their livelihood came entirely from it. So yes, it was about slavery.

[@domenicgalata1470]

I remember reading that it was the Secession of South Carolina from the Union because they opposed the abolition of slavery brought about by the Victory of Lincoln for the Presidency. But that was taught to me in the 80’s in Canada so they glossed over a lot of the intricacies of the reasons for and the lead up to the Civil War.

[@HolyknightVader999]

@@domenicgalata1470 Killing slavery would literally kill the Southern economy, which is understandable why they'd fight hard to keep it.

[@livingmaze3094]

Except it wasn’t and they said it was about state’s rights and tariffs

[@livingmaze3094]

@@HolyknightVader999 No the massive war killed the south’s economy

[@HolyknightVader999]

@@livingmaze3094 False. There are multiple Southern accounts of them openly saying that the bedrock of their economy was slavery, and that they were seceding because a growing abolitionist element in the North wasn't in favor of leaving them alone.

[@drkickyoface]

Tennessean here and I'm pretty proud that even though my grandfather's great grandfather Henry Pate (no not that one thank God) was a native southerner he had the discernment to see that his home was on the wrong side and traveled north to Michigan to join the union army. He even fought at Gettysburg!

[@gummybearchewy5444]

Tennessean as well. That happened often in Tennessee the north eastern portion of the state almost broke away into its own state but stayed by a slim vote. Both The confederates and Union had a Army of Tennessee and had people from the state. When the union took back Knoxville the cities population saw them as liberators.

[@lukethomas8573]

@@gummybearchewy5444 Fun fact, my hometown (Elizabethton, TN) considered itself the "First city liberated" from the Confederates, as just after the Confederate conscripts left the city the townspeople are said to have lifted the union flag again. Some people around here also tried to disrupt/destroy the rail system in the area to disrupt confederate supply lines (in anticipation of an invasion of Kentucky, I think), and so we spent a lot of time under martial law. We remembered our time being the "over-mountain men" during the revolution, fighting for the birth of our country, and most people did not want to separate it. Also, I lived just off of State of Franklin road in Johnson City, TN for a while, which is named for that proposed state. Edit: I felt like something was off and checked my facts, state of Franklin was during the early United States, and was from what was then western NC, now East Tennessee. I couldn't find a name for the proposed state during the Civil War period.

[@gummybearchewy5444]

@@lukethomas8573 I live close to Chattanooga myself so my ancestors were more likely to be sympathetic to the confederate side. Though I have not looked into my family tree yet.

[@marie_h1104]

From what I understand, Tennesseeans were quite divided on the issue. Both sides considered the opposite side as traitors to the state.

[@lukethomas8573]

@@marie_h1104 Yes, most of the middle and West parts of the state did support secession, it’s mostly the east that did not. The east is much more mountainous, as well as the Cumberland Gap, which make finding space for large plantations difficult in comparison the the flatter western parts of the state. Therefore, less slavery j. The east, therefore, less confederate support in the east (in addition to the things I mentioned before)

[@mitchaxness2305]

One of the highest compliments I can pay to you in watching these videos is that I would never have known your political affiliation without you stating it. You have always been fair to creators you disagreed with (even when they didn't deserve it *cough*TheRageaholic*cough*), and do a great job of sticking to, and not cherry-picking, your facts in your videos. Your channel has become one of my instant watches when new videos appear in my feed. Keep up the good work.

[@user-ck8zz9go4i]

Agreed!

[@scott91575]

Wow, I thought just the opposite. I thought it was pretty clear he was conservative. Maybe it's because I am also from Ohio, from a conservative family, have been friends with many conservatives, grew up conservative, etc. I am not any more but I digress... He is at least a conservative with a fairly open mind. I am more than happy to support that. I am all for open and honest discussions. Of course I am no fan of PragerU. They have a lot of just straight sickening anti science propaganda often aimed at children, and I despise them not on political grounds but on scientific ones. As someone who has spent much of life in STEM fields they have outright disgusting videos meant to push agendas that help billionaires (like the fracking billionaires who are their biggest donors) at the expense of regular people. They are an example of an institution I will not support, and honestly should never be seen in any positive light no matter how many even handed videos they create. Those are nothing but cover for an agenda that no one should follow (well, unless you are a heartless billionaire).

[@DubhghlasMacDubhghlas]

@@scott91575 he did a political compass test and he was center left...

[@scott91575]

@@DubhghlasMacDubhghlas did you watch the video? "I realize being someone that is politically conservative..." I am pretty sure he knows himself better than some stupid test.

[@DubhghlasMacDubhghlas]

@@scott91575 did you watch the video where he did the political compass test, these were his beliefs. and they are center left beliefs. On social issues he is fairly left leaning, and he is not much of economic conservative which would make him center left.

[@obama9535]

My family come from Bangladesh, a nation which was part of the British Raj. To this day I see far too many Brits think the empire brought “freedom” to the “uncivilised world”. I don’t blame them for not wanting to think of their ancestors as colonisers, but remember that when you deny a crime you also deny the victim closure. It hurts to know that people deny the suffering your ancestors would’ve had to have gone through, just as much as it hurts to know they were slavers or colonisers.

[@toxenzz]

Colonialism was always flawed - annexation is the true goal

[@RJBeee91]

My expectations weren't exactly high for a Prager U video, but as soon as a I saw Col Ty Seidule, I knew this could be good. He grew up in Alexandria, VA and wrote a great book called "Robert E Lee and Me" about his own journey coming to terms with his Southern heritage and the misinformation of the Lost Cause that he was surrounded by as a child and young adult. Highly recommend the read. Just be careful where you take that book- read it in the airport and got some understandably strange looks from people... lol.

[@cameronspence4977]

"Oh yeah your buddy Robert E Lee huh, slave driver?"😂

[@HiveTyrant25]

Why do people argue it’s not about slavery? I’ll give an anecdote: I work for the USPS in South Carolina. I deliver to rural areas and get a lot of old timers that own farms and property there. The one I remember most is a guy who started our conversation complaining about the mail trucks (because they’re hot as hell in them and he used to be a trucker), then about the presidency (since I work for the federal government), but for some reason it transitioned to Lincoln. The dude was delusional. 90 years old and telling me how Lincoln started the war, and that Sumter was his fault. Talking about how he’s friends with so many black people and all of his black friends don’t like the government (as if that excuses the next parts). Claims the old “lost cause” crap about “States Rights,” and “they’re taking our history away because they’re liberal,” etc. The dude was a nice enough guy but the lost cause myth, on top of the veneration of ancestors, on top of current politics, just deludes these people into believing something that isn’t true.

[@ntfoperative9432]

I will say, he is partly right on the Fort Sumter part, while it was entirely wrong for the Confederates to fire, Lincoln did kind of instigate them by not Leaving the Fort

[@HiveTyrant25]

@@ntfoperative9432 yes it’s Lincoln’s fault in the same way it would be your fault if I told you to leave your house and I shoot you because you decided to stay in your house.

[@david-1775]

Sorry, when did Jefferson Davis raise an army and invade Maryland and Pennsylvania?

[@CaptainFritz28]

​@@david-1775 Where was Gettysburg again?

[@david-1775]

@@CaptainFritz28 What year was Gettysburg again?

[@brandonwhite7131]

Last PragerU reaction did numbers, hope this one does well too. Keep em coming.

[@bendi3768]

I disagree

[@CursedAnqxl]

prageru reactions just give attention to prageru, which in turn gives more support because there will always be *some* people that fully buy into what prageru is selling. also, going off of the past few years on the internet, negative attention seems to be a good thing as nobody really does anything about it to stop these bad people that will intentionally lie, hurt, damage, etc.

[@amckittrick7951]

​@@CursedAnqxlI don't agree with that at all. Its good to hit arguments, as much as we disagree with them or stupid they may be, head on so that people can react to videos like these with education rather than ignorance. We can't just avoid talking about what we don't want to.

[@Deviantial]

@@CursedAnqxl I don't think a person can exist that watches VTH rebut every point like on the last PragerU video and is still convinced or drawn into what PragerU is trying to sell. If they exist, they were already so far down the rabbit hole before they ever watched the video and nothing is pulling them out. I think these videos will do exponentially more good in countering the talking points they are trying to put out.

[@CursedAnqxl]

@@amckittrick7951 I take it back then, I suppose I am just tired of the pointless arguments that are common place everywhere else and assumed the same would be true here, and that is why I said that. how ignorant I was.

[@kilbane212]

PragerU: “You think the Civil War was only about slavery?” Everyone: Yes.

[@iamjohnfarlow]

Even PragerU agrees funny enough

[@Reaper08]

They're not disagreeing. They mock the people that say otherwise. You are framing PragerU in a way that makes them look like they disagree that it was about slavery. You clearly didn't watch the video.

[@janehrahan5116]

@@Reaper08 This is standard for anti prager people. I don't even like prager, I prefer more depth, but the insane level of dishonesty surrounding coverage of them never fails to astound me.

[@jurgnobs1308]

@@janehrahan5116 dishonesty, like claiming they are mocking the far right when they say insane far right shit?

[@Glamerth]

​@@janehrahan5116don't lecture on dishonesty when PragerU is funded by big oil money and then runs interference for their interests.

[@7grand-dad900]

I will say that I honestly went into this video expecting things to be a lot spicier. I expected to laugh at the usual PragerU schtick that often gets mocked but instead I was pleasantly surprised by a well spoken and sober video on why the confederacy seceded while also making a distinction between why the government fought vs why people fought. I wish more PragerU videos could be as uncontroversial as this but I will say that the one they did on Ulysses S. Grant’s life was very good too.

[@kevin-be1qh]

If you would watch more videos you will find others you agree with. Somehow the „left“ doesn’t see grey zones but only evil and good same when they labelled joe rogan as racist because he is conservative sometimes.

[@jeremy2948]

Probably because the southerners were Democrats, and they associate pro slavery Southern Democrats with modern day Democrats

[@caolmountain8281]

Most of their videos are good information save the ones where Candace Owen's goes full agenda

[@GiordanDiodato]

@@caolmountain8281 nah, they were wrong in a few.

[@janehrahan5116]

They usually get a few details wrong, however its rare that those details seriously harm the factual accuracy of their statements. What is definitely true is they have a heavy bias, though id argue no heavier than someone like atun shei (who also often gets details wrong). All in all they are like a 4/10. They don't have enough depth to really justify the errors, its clear that the videos are made fast to get views like watchmojo or the like.

[@SoupSultan]

This PragerU video is a perfect example of how how even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

Many of the their early videos are actually pretty good. Even on topics I might disagree with them on, they present a clear and articular perspective. However, many of their later videos can be problematic since a lot of details are missing or important problems are ignored or glossed over.

[@PeePeePooPoo07]

@@JasonTaylor-po5xc ill admit they're entertaining and easy to follow, but that's just it, they're easy to follow because a lot of information is half-truths or just missing in order to keep it simple and push their narrative/agenda. Of course a lot of the topics they touch on aren't that simple, so it is easy to eat it up when they present it as such a simple topic. This is the only PragerU video that I can say I whole heartedly agree with.

[@yosefyonin6824]

they're not a broken clock, they are right on most of their videos.

[@PeePeePooPoo07]

@@yosefyonin6824 C'mon bro, all their videos are littered with half-truths, straw mans, and utter lies. You CANT actually believe the stuff that PragerU posts.

[@JackDSquat]

I oftentimes find myself agreeing with PragerU even though I’m farther right on the political spectrum

[@Neljosmusic]

This is probably the only PragerU video I've ever seen that I actually felt was being genuine in its attempt to show factual information without pushing a narrative. Ty Seidule has a book out called Robert E. Lee and Me and while its definitely more of an opinion piece/narrative based on his personal experiences and views, I found it to be an extremely interesting book for those curious about how Southerners still hold Lee in such high regard.

[@redaleta]

Surprisingly accurate for Prager U. Was completely shocked since the first Prager U video that you reacted to was just wrong.

[@myrpok]

For what it's worth I lean pretty heavily left and I think your general tone during the video was fine. Been watching your vides for a few years now and haven't felt 'triggered' or whatever at any point, even if I felt differently about a topic. It's always been interesting to see your perspective.

[@abdul-malikasad3785]

Wow!! This was probably the most nuanced and straightforward presentation on this subject I have ever heard. Thank you. I can't wait to view your other videos.

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

This is the right level of nuance in acknowledging the reasons behind the Civil War from a leadership level vs individual motivations of those enlisted. I'm sure for many it was simply a pay check. I'm sure many officers told their enlisted whatever they wanted to hear was the "real reason" they were fighting. However, without slavery there would be no Civil War is a key point - many of the secondary issues were also entangled with slavery. The CSA was established to preserve slavery.

[@TheMasonK]

Here I was thinking I was gonna be hearing Lost Cause BS but for the most part I ended up agreeing with almost every point the professor made.

[@iamjohnfarlow]

Shows just how stupid the Lost Cause Theory is, even PragerU thinks that way.

[@TheMasonK]

@@iamjohnfarlow it’s like that one meme “the worst person you know just made a good point” 😂

[@brun4775]

PU want to get their racist and religious propaganda into schools to brainwash future generations. They have to put out some sensible videos to point to when people call the fundamentalist bigots.

[@WickedCool23]

@@iamjohnfarlow likely because they support a sort of Reverse Lost Cause ie “the Democratic Party (which they claim is identical to modern liberal Democrats) wanted to preserve slavery”

[@FordHoard]

"The Lost Cause" is just modern double speak bullshit designed to divide and stir up a long settled pot. Give it a break.

[@mr.l5071]

Wow, this PragerU video is actually pretty good, which is a welcome surprise. Keep up the good work, VTH. Stay safe and healthy!

[@littlekuribohimposte]

I take it PragerU is kind of a joke, but this professor did a very good job outlining his points and supporting them. Good to see the men and women at West Point are getting a proper education.

[@billbissenas2973]

They have a lot of scholars, educators and experts in their fields host videos. Yeah, there’s some sloppy work but most is pretty decent for run times under 15 minutes.

[@ajaxmcjones9387]

This video got a lot of backlash from the Prager U fanbase

[@bear3616]

There not a joke there a very real organization

[@ReallyGoodandKind]

@@bear3616They’re. Christ

[@bccsivxx-xxivvii]

This is the video they show the state BOE and local school boards to get their foot in the door, then they open the propaganda floodgate with the local districts sending them other videos once they're inside.

[@gummybearchewy5444]

As a southerner my take for why the south clings to this narrative of states rights is because the leadership and older populations do not wish to admit that their ancestors were in the wrong. As the generations pass this narrative will slowly erode but it is frustrating to me how long that process has taken.

[@watchm4ker]

There's a few variations on that theme, some not wanting to believe their ancestors could have fought for something they themselves don't believe in, others refusing to believe that it was wrong in the first place, depending on their opinions on the slaves themselves.

[@truko5039]

No, I don’t think that’s true. The leaders knew they were wrong and guided the mass to think like they think. Your leaders were racist and wanted to keep it that way so they could stay in power. Because after the civil war, there was black man in congress, there were local black leaders. But it went away mostly after the union pulled its troops out. Then Jim Crow started.But these movements take some efforts from the masses. Some where deceived just like nowadays but other knew exactly what was happening and actively supported it.

[@acuyra]

What do I hear often these days are people complaining that schools are teahing children that they are to blame for what their ancestors did. I suspect it's less of people saying you're responsible for what your ancestors did and more of them taking it that way. But if you go far enough in anyone's history, you'll find an ancestor who did something wrong. Just because they did something wrong doesn't mean you're responsible, nor does it mean that you have to defend them,

[@gummybearchewy5444]

@@acuyra exactly

[@truko5039]

@@acuyra I agree. Everyone ancestor have done shady or evil stuff in the past. My ancestor are from both Europe and Mayan, both cultures known for being backwards and brutal at times. Am I saying that what they did is wrong? Yes, but am I to blame for it? No. Nor do I blame white folks whose ancestors owned slaves, that’s not the issue. CRT is about looking at history through others eyes. And to see objectively how their actions still affect us today. Think about it, think of all the damage slavery and Jim Crow caused to everyone, disproportionately the poor, and minorities but I think everyone has suffered. Look the race riots, the lynchings, the housing and job discrimination, the hate being push against each other. The civil rights movements was less than a generation ago, but we still the effects of it, just look up any major city Zoning districts in relation to crime. The powers at the time made sure minorities and the poor would feel the impact for generations. Then you have a lot of folks in the right, telling me that there is no racism anymore, but tell that to the lady in the elevator looking distressed whenever I share the elevator. Or the employer automatically assuming I don’t have the right to work here because of my skin color. Look at the kitchens of restaurants, my people are there, look at the construction sites, my people are there, look at the cleaning crews, my people are there. Often working a shit job and paying taxes just to have an asshole politician tell us we are a shit people and we shouldn’t be there. My country has been meddle with by the US since it’s inception but take zero responsibility for the damage and the influx of people coming here. We finally started to heal after decades of corruption and political chaos. Started to be influenced by China since the US left us to die during Trumps term. But I digress. My point is that the world is interconnected more than we think, what we do now will affect generations to come, so it’s important to make decisions with as many POVs and opinions as possible.

[@ryanbailey6401]

This is by far Praeger U's best video. I would have liked Ty to mention that 200K Southerners also voluntarily fought for the Union. But If I have to dig that hard to find a criticism it was a great video!

[@nicholasrossano7340]

If you watch some of his lectures and read some of his books, he has a very clear bias against the south and rarely ever criticizes the north. He had a similar background as Atunsheifilms, though I would honestly say that Atun Shei is more objective when covering civil war topics, which is saying something. Being a historian does not mean you don’t have an agenda and considering he is the sole historian of West Point it is not surprising that he sanitizes the Union’s role in the war while heavily criticizing the south.

[@ryanbailey6401]

@nicholasrossano7340 Well, the south is in a pretty indefensible position. So you could probably be completely objective, and everything you say would still be ferociously critical of the south.

[@nicholasrossano7340]

My issue isn’t necessarily pointing out the many crimes the south was guilty of, it’s pretending that the north were perfect and fought only to free slaves. It’s true that most southern soldiers fully supported slavery regardless if they were practitioners, but painting northern soldiers as all being abolitionists is absurd.

[@nicholasrossano7340]

It also seems like many comments steer towards this direction. It seems most are fine repeating and agreeing with the notion that the south was uniformly reprehensible but for some reason regard anything negative said about the Union as Lost Cause propaganda. Note I am not pointing this criticism directly at you, I am merely pointing out what I have observed throughout numerous Civil War related videos and forums.

[@ryanbailey6401]

@@nicholasrossano7340 his other stuff must be more idealistic. I didn't really get that from this video. Seems like his intention here is driving a stake through the lost cause myths heart.

[@nbwall56]

Chris, like all of us who are devoted to your content I love your balanced explanations. You have a knack for bringing prople together. Love you brother.

[@rayross997]

Thanks Chris, it all comes down to "do onto others as you would have them do to you". Keep up the excellent work.👍

[@michaelrochester1055]

VTH brought up a great point. Cultural differences and generational distrust of centralized power was a huge factor in pushing towards succession. Culture and ideology are often found at the root of many decisions

[@midnightmadness6344]

It’s so funny you can get a video like this from PragurU then like 3 videos down you get “Why the British Empire was good” a video about the benefits of colonialism, native genocide, and how the horrors of imperialism is actually good.

[@jacob_baird9666]

I’m loving the PragerU reactions! Keep this up man!

[@patrickschattilly8877]

Chris you put yourself through this for the community and that makes you special to all of us

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Ngl I was expecting some lost cause stuff, but this was more evenhanded than other PragerU videos. They fumbled at the last minute, but it was still better than most PragerU videos. Great reaction, Sam! Glad to see you branching out into American history! Always good to get out of your comfort zone.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Right, you only endorse this because you hate the South slightly more than you hate America, so you couldn't admit the last minute was valid.

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

@@Dennis-nc3vw lmao dude I’m from Texas, and I love my home state (even if there are some *serious* issues). I don’t hate the South or hate America. The last portion was a fumble because they botched the 200,000 black soldiers statistic. In general, this was a rather evenhanded video countering Lost Cause myths.

[@gunarliepins]

Gotta admit, when I saw "PragerU", I did _not_ expect that video. That was leaps and bounds more honest than anything I've seen under that label.

[@yosefyonin6824]

you're way yoo used to dishonst youtubers making shit up or cherrypicking bad takes in what is usually a good channel

[@livingmaze3094]

Why because it approves your biases?

[@livingmaze3094]

@@yosefyonin6824 You mean like VTH?

[@yosefyonin6824]

@@livingmaze3094 they speak truth to power. Don't know what VTH is and how is this relevant

[@livingmaze3094]

@@yosefyonin6824 You said this guy is too use to dishonest youtubers cherry-picking and I said that includes VTh

[@garyatwell2721]

Great reaction. Always appreciate the commentary to provide more context to the topic of these videos.

[@areafurrynone1913]

Recently went to the og vid’s comment section. It’s really funny to see how much that vid alienated their usual audience.

[@9Ballr]

Not only was the Civil War obviously about slavery, but nearly 160 years after the end of the Civil War Americans are still dealing with the economic, social, political, and moral ramifications of the institution and practice of slavery.

[@nbenefiel]

Now we have fools like DeSantis saying slavery was “ beneficial “.

[@defendska2158]

No they're not

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

@@nbenefiel DeSantis' cirriculum didn't say anything that the AP College Board's curriculum didn't.

[@codygates7418]

@@nbenefielThat isn’t what he meant. Think about it despite the fact that slavery was morally wrong slaves did at least get an access to a skill that they could use once they were freed. Some of Washington’s were carpenters and other workers and that skill obviously would help them in the future for a job (Washington also said when he died that the children should be taught to read). Even the White slaves in the Barbary States of North Africa (which people don’t like to talk about cause it would ruin the “victimhood narrative”) were often taught about finances, and others skills and were sometimes even allowed in politics with their masters blessing. So while these skills that slaves learned were obviously to help the masters make money it also helped the slaves get better jobs and a better social standing once they were freed. THAT is what they meant.

[@nbenefiel]

@@codygates7418 Those slaves stolen in Africa certainly had their own skills. Many were prominent in their own society. The “skills” learned on the plantations were sowing, hoeing, and picking tobacco or cotton, hardly anything to earn actual money with. It was forbidden to teach slaves to read or write. If they managed to learn, they could be blinded or even killed.

[@MrWWIIBuff]

I will say that, for a great many of those foot soldiers, just because they did not own slaves, does not mean they did not knowingly fight for the Preservation of Slavery. If many had the chance, they would own slaves themselves, or rent them from their owner if they could. It was to their benefit to keep slavery around.

[@JoseFlores-xh5cj]

Most men fight wars to find a new life, just like modern times, most soldiers are people that can't lead but have to be led.

[@nguy002]

These reaction videos are absolutely amazing!! Please do more and more.

[@Euphoniumstar]

Hey Ty Seidule! Highly recommend his book “Robert E Lee and Me”. Its about how he came to realize that the lost cause myths he and many other people grew up with are just blatantly wrong. I feel like this is a rare case where PragerU actually put out an informative and accurate video.

[@svenrio8521]

Rare PragerU W

[@dmytryk7887]

You beat me to it, so I'll just second your recommendation for Seidule's book.

[@dickersoncharlie4961]

They have put out many informative videos. I have watched at least a hundred and they do good.

[@jessetorres8738]

Confederacy defender: "The U.S. Civil War wasn't about slavery! It was about states rights!" Person: "States rights to do what?" Confederacy defender: "Um...To own slaves."

[@Superhero18]

Context is important. Even with Slavery being the moral wrong that it is.(And inarguably, a world without slavery would have been better in the long run.) The South was not prepared for that long run. So did the North prepare them? Absolutely not. And the Radical Republicans behind Abraham Lincoln were unwilling to do such a thing. So the industrialist North essentially brow beats them with abolitionism, and at the very minimum of the prospect at the not-so-distant future, meanwhile what was going to recoup these loses? Well, they were shit out of luck. The funny thing is, we act like it's some great victory rather than the mutilated victory that Lincoln acknowledged that it was. Turns out that an impoverished Southern part of the union, didn't exactly make for a stronger union overall. Not only did it economically suppress an entire region of the US, right up until the modern age, but that said suppression led to the rise of extremist groups in the region. There is no Lost Cause, but there is a False Gloating. There's nothing to gloat about. Lincoln didn't want the war, and Lincoln didn't think there was some big triumph. Instead, he recognized that the nation was tore anew, and had to be rebuilt again.

[@Iris_1217]

​@Superhero18 I mean the Lost Cause narrative very much exists. Look at what's going on in Florida right now with the education standards. There's a bunch of reasons why diminishing the negative effects of chattel slavery was seen as beneficial to Southern interests. Also, not allowing slavery to spread further =/= immediately abolishing it in the South. While some may have demanded immediate abolition, most realized the only way to avoid war was through a slow extinguishing of the practice.

[@Superhero18]

@@Iris_1217 I think the OP laid out pretty perfectly how they saw the writing on the wall, and i'll be blunt: Regardless of their racism(which I don't contest at all) I actually think this could've been resolved if the Federal Government/North answered this one question: And what are you going to replace the lost capital/revenue with? (and yes, it super sucks that they thought this way.But we can't get hung up on this. Unfortunately, there was material value. If we substitute 'slavery' with any modern day material value of substance, we'd see the problem) The North didn't have any ideas for this, and kinda said 'your problem to deal with'. So if you're a Southerner, if you remain in the union not only will you get screwed over but the federal government has no real plans for reimbursing you either. To me, I can hold a distinction between the amoralness of slavery and racism in general, and the tragic economics of this. From the South's prospective, it's a lose-lose. And the North just lacked complete tact, because it wasn't their problem.

[@NorseHistorian793]

I've always loved the line "It was about state's rights". And you put it as bluntly as it needs to be, "State's rights to what?" Westward expansion and the compromises that came out of that in admitting states, as well as legislation like the Fugitive Slave Act I would say was postponing the inevitable. I did a paper on in one of my Civil War classes about the Election of 1860 and through my research, succession and the Civil War seemed more like a when than an if it would happen.

[@FordHoard]

States rights to secede and to not be overtaxed and regulated by the federal government. People always think they're being so smart when they say "sTaTes RiGhtS tO wHaT???!!"

[@williamwallaceoftheus8033]

Exactly

[@tomjones2202]

lol When you ask them about States Rights they can never tell you ! Ask them what Rights they lost at the end of the war,, only one, Owning another human being. lol,, And omg,, try this one,, Our Heritage,,, Again ask what do you mean by " heritage"? Again no answer or one that makes NO sense.

[@FordHoard]

@@tomjones2202 I just told you what rights. "Heritage" refers to the rebel flag and is only talked about in the modern day because southerners are constantly under attack by woke idiots who hate history. Notice how the same people targeting Confederate statues also target statues of the founding fathers and even Lincoln, Grant, and free black soldiers who fought for the Union. It's insane.

[@Tom_Cruise_Missile]

​@@tomjones2202"what did the confederacy allow you to do that the union didn't?" Is great too. The confederacy was a lot less free. They had a lot more taxes, ironically.

[@CodyChepa88]

In mexico city so behind on your content but I'm sick currently in the hotel room so gonna enjoy catching up . Keep up the great work Chris.

[@danpatterson8009]

Subscribing to your channel. Everything you said agrees with what I've read so far. Currently slogging through the Jackson administration c.1830 and it is clear that slavery was the primary motivator that drove open challenges to the authority of the federal government and the Constitution itself. Something had to happen.

[@PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

Honestly one of the few PragerU videos that are pretty historically accurate. So I commend them for that.

[@jaws392]

What other videos of theirs would you not consider historically accurate.

[@PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

@@jaws392 everything else lmao

[@jaws392]

@@PremierCCGuyMMXVI Not an answer! What video's are you talking about?

[@raughael6425]

@@jaws392 everything else

[@TheFhqwhgadsLimit]

​@@jaws392Their Frederick Douglass video where they portray him as somebody who thought the founding fathers were in the right to "compromise" on slavery and who thought that abolitionists who wanted immediate change without compromise were too extreme. Frederick Douglass said very much the opposite and it's just disgusting slavery apologia misusing selected quotes from him.

[@blogbalkanstories4805]

Accurate original video, accurate and fair reaction. I don't think anything more need be said. Good job.

[@livingmaze3094]

Except this video gets several things wrong. For example Siedule creates a strawman of the State’s right argument. Article 4 Sec 2 states the federal government has to protect slavery as property. States rights doesn’t mean federal government has no power just what is not explicitly stated.

[@Tsanusdi]

They didn't get that wrong at all. That's not a strawman argument. They can protect that, but states likewise have a right to allow blacks to defend themselves, which was not the case and why the NOrthern states were passing "personal liberty laws". @@livingmaze3094

[@rorycannon7295]

@@livingmaze3094 lmao your argument is that the federal government has to preserve slavery?

[@livingmaze3094]

@@rorycannon7295 Based on Article 4 which literally says “people of service or labor” aren’t freed if they escape to another part of the country yes

[@rorycannon7295]

@@livingmaze3094 you were arguing earlier that the war wasnt about slavery, now you are arguing the opposite lmao

[@thebatman5766]

I gave this video a chance after the last one. After the first few minutes I decided to watch the rest of it. I very much appreciate this one over the last. Much less biased and helpful commentary going further in depth about the topics. Thank you for that. Nitpicking is great when it’s about factual information and not preconceived ideas of the intentions of a speaker.

[@jeremysolomon1209]

Great video. I was cringing the whole time waiting for the PragerU to say something really disappointing. But it didn’t happen and I learned a few things here as usual. Thanks!

[@jakobbecker6435]

Haha good try on the Menomonee falls. It’s pronounced “muh-nom-uh-knee” falls. Being from Wisconsin I find it entertaining when people pronounce towns for the first time. Good reaction as well keep it up!

[@lukaslambs5780]

The best example of how the civil war wasn’t about slavery is the Fugitive Slave Act. If the southern states/Confederacy truly cared about a state’s right to their self governance, they would be fine with the north deciding they won’t return people back to slavery. I do 100% agree though that individuals often had complex motivations for fighting and it’s impossible to know that for every soldier. But as a whole slavery was pretty clearly the main cause of the war, that much is clear and wouldn’t have been denied by most confederates. I don’t think everyone nowadays who says the civil war was mainly about states rights is a racist, but I do think they’re all mistaken!

[@ob2kenobi388]

At the beginning of your comment I think you put a "wasn't" where you meant to put a "was" lol

[@Tom_Cruise_Missile]

​@@gordonhuskin7337oh noooo the poor aristocrats not being allowed to own people won't you think of the slave owners!

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

While I'm sure some enlisted knew the war was about slavery. I doubt the average enlisted person was told that - which largely depended on their officers for information. No internet made it harder to check up on the facts.

[@kfiraltberger552]

4:02 Mr Beat already engineered my brain to sing that phrase any time I hear it

[@ilikesnakes4695]

Never in my life did I think I'd actually like a prager U video for the most part.

[@billbissenas2973]

You took my suggestion, props. to you! Not just a professor but Head of the History Department. That's important because only the best serve in that position. Next up, review a Thomas Sowell video.👍

[@michaelmurphy7883]

Wait you mean the Uncle Ruckus dude? Thomas Sowell is literally just Candace Owens but 40 years earlier mate

[@billbissenas2973]

@@michaelmurphy7883 LOL

[@michaelmurphy7883]

@@billbissenas2973 I mean he is, he literally uses the same talking points as she does about how "Libruls are the real racists actually" when left leaning individuals present factual information regarding black people during the Civil Rights movement. He has also literally justified slavery by saying black people today have benefited from the sacrifice their ancestors went through, like bruh.

[@billbissenas2973]

@@michaelmurphy7883 OK, lol

[@mrtweedy705]

My Question is, How did you find a PragerU video that was that much genuine fact? Usually they sprinkle in some facts here and there and then move into their own little world of fantasy. Amazing work!

[@brysonspivey3413]

Just finished BCT for the army. Great video. Something great to come back to

[@bangkokmaco]

floored that such an honest and straightforward video originated at PragerU. well done.

[@johnshelton1141]

I believe Prager U is honest all the time, and its critics are the dishonest ones.

[@weepingscorpion8739]

You know that it's going to be a good video when Chris doesn't start the video with "Welcome back, everyone" but rather with something like: "What am I doing to myself? Why do I put myself through this?" :)

[@richXPT707]

We can acknowledge that even though the civil war was mostly about slavery, the vast majority of southerners fought honorably for their state in what was primarily a rich man's war.

[@SandfordSmythe]

The Southern desertion rates were high.

[@LC-sc3en]

The majority of wars are rich men's war where the poor fight in for various reasons. Armies directed by and for the wealthy or upper class have always been filled with victims by conscription, patriots, people who were galvanized by propoganda, people looking to become more wealthy through glory, the poor in need of a paycheck, those looking to protect their families or economic prospects. Etc.

[@arlonfoster9997]

Yep. Most soldiers both north and south fought for their homes they didn’t care or pay attention to the issue of slavery neither did those like Robert E Lee Stonewall Jackson Winfield Scott Hancock and other generals on both sides. From what I read Jackson’s views on slavery aren’t exactly clear

[@SEAZNDragon]

I looked up Ty Seidule who retired as a Bridger general from West Point in 2020. Born in Alexandria, Virginia and he got his bachelors at Washington and Lee University and masters at Ohio State University. After combat tours in the Gulf War and Kosovo the general spent the remainder of his career at West Point. Most of his published writings revolve around the Civil War and West Point including: 'Treason is Treason:' Civil War Memory at West Point" (2012) and Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause (2021).

[@IZALZO]

Personally I believe that, for the average enlisted man the civil war was not about slavery but when looking at the leadership of the time. The aristocratic ruling class in the south wanted to maintain power and wealth and needed slavery to be maintained for that. My basis: southern born and politically libertarian

[@IZALZO]

I am from North Carolina and like VTH said in the beginning I believe that my state as well as Virginia and Tennessee only seceded because of the call for troops by the Union

[@kingofdash9175]

Poor men fight rich men's wars. Tale as old as time

[@ikematthews6866]

@@IZALZOwell since the south had 0 right to leave, Lincoln had every right to call up troops and making those states like Virginia etc just as guilty as South Carolina.

[@joeclaridy]

As a South Carolinian I am happy slavery was abolished because I don't view myself as inferior to my white counterparts. Was it fought over slavery, for the most part yes with caveats. Did everyone in the confederacy fight for slavery, no. That war was more complexed than people give it credit and boiling it down to simplistic terms does not do it justice. Saying that all southerners fought for slavery because they hate blacks is just as disingenuous as saying all northerners fought to eliminate slavery because they loved blacks. To me it's a power trip, my side is better than yours because we're morally superior type situation. Like it was said, not all Union States were free States, which is a fact we like to gloss over.

[@IZALZO]

@@ikematthews6866I would have to half agree, half disagree. The states I mentioned are just as bad since they opted to join the confederacy they were complicit in the crimes of slavery just as much as the other states. But it is not outlined in the constitution that no state may leave giving the power of that decision to the states them selves, I believe that if a state elected to leave they have that right. Sadly that is something the founding fathers overlooked by not explicitly stating. Imo

[@HistoryfortheAges]

Teaching history for over 27 years I would say this is spot on. And the reaction is well done as well. I know many folks do not like Prager U, but as I tell my students the most important form of diversity on a college campus is a diversity of ideas. To often only one side is presented, so it is healthy there are places like Prager U. to give other perspectives.

[@CharlieNoodles]

It’s one thing to foster diversity of thought, it’s quite another to assume that every issue must have two sides and that both sides must be of equal merit. People’s issue with Prager U is that it calls itself a “university” when it isn’t. It’s a KZbin channel set up to be a megaphone for Dennis Prager.

[@pdcdesign9632]

Prager U is not a dependable source for accurate information. It's a right wing propaganda outlet 😮

[@Niel2760]

Hmmm….ideas…so white supremacy is an idea so would it be healthy to expose students to white supremacy ideas? I am not so sure about that.

[@PlutoCoffins]

Happy one thousandth video!

[@zachloed4294]

Amazing reaction as always VTH

[@RedLogicYT]

This video was actually pretty good. Rare pragerU W

[@frostyfrenchtoast]

This is the best prageru video I’ve seen wtf That’s not saying much though lol

[@jeffslote9671]

Prageru content tends to be very good

[@yunuss58]

​​@@jeffslote9671yeah like that one time they commended traitor scumbag lee for putting down John Brown's revolt Big sarcasm btw

[@Edax_Royeaux]

Prageru content tends to be really bad, especially when it's clear Big Oil is funding the video, but sometimes when their trying to venerate a Republican figure they can do alright. But of course, they may correctly claim Watergate unfairly overshadows Nixon, they'd never same the same thing about Monica Lewinsky overshadowing Bill Clinton, their bias is too blatant.

[@RevengeOfTheKaizer]

Actually it’s saying a lot. The video is great and most of them suck, not even a little bit good.

[@Buzzy_Bland]

@@jeffslote9671…No.

[@hoodoo2001]

Southerner here. Author of Battle Flags of Texans in the Confederacy 1995. All my ancestors were here for the Civil War and all were Confederates. Oh, by the way, the Civil War WAS about slavery. Just read the articles of secession of the Confederate states. Also title to slaves were owned generally by wealthy people but their families and friends (about 30% of the Southern population) actually directly benefited from slavery.

[@lokitrickster5414]

Hey from Virginia. I'm so glad that you visit us often. Love your content. Have you been to Pamplin Park? Enon Virginia has a lot of cool things as well.

[@stonecoldscubasteveo4827]

I was once someone who thought it wasn't about slavery. Then I read a few of the declarations of independence of the southern states. They all specifically cite the preservation of slavery as their justification for war. It's right there in their own words.

[@MG-ot2yr]

Exactly

[@henryconner780]

PragerU W right here. When I see Candice Owens wasn’t talking I knew it was gonna be less controversial. I am conservative myself actually but something about Candace just gives off this vibe of” oh you think this? You must be a silly liberal, let me teach you with my superior knowledge” and that’s obviously awful 😂 awesome video as always! much love

[@arlonfoster9997]

I think Owens video was okay. I agree with what most she says and I’m an independent with conservative views. I kinda wish she brought up the fact that some of our founders like George Washington saw the evils of slavery

[@mackenziegordon219]

Something that I've been thnking about when it comes to the War Aims of a Government vs the reasons why the individual soilder fought was very interesting to me. The way that I see it is that regardless of a person's individual reason for wanting to fight (Southern soilders fighting to protect their home in this case), signing up (or being drafted) indirectly makes your fight line up with why the government is fighting. So while there were many Southern Soilders were fighting to protect their homes, by fighting for the Confederacy, they were fighting for the aim of the preservation of Slavery

[@Tom_Cruise_Missile]

They were fighting to keep slavery, too. Southerners assumed that black people were barbarians and thought they would go around murdering white people for revenge. They absolutely did know they were fighting for slavery.

[@moe5177]

Sorry you got backlash for the previous pragerU video. I quite liked it (and this one too). You’re my favorite historian KZbinr and I always come back to watch your vids. Love and cheers, mate!

[@mikebelcher7244]

One of the very few times (iirc the only time) I found a PragerU video truthful.

[@kids.cats.crazy.]

This was an excellent video. I’m a history student and recently had a class about the Civil War where we had to address this question. You could say the war was about states’ rights, but it always circled back to one specific right: the right to uphold the practice of slavery. Everything else hinges on that issue. It’s true that many freed slaves fought for the Union, as well as blacks who were born free, and unfortunately they were often treated poorly by their white compatriots. Just because slavery was abolished doesn’t mean prejudice and racism wasn’t running rampant. :-/

[@drakethesnek6429]

False. To claim the south fought to preserve slavery is to argue the north fought to end it, and that Lincoln was an abolitionist. He was not, and the last states to pass laws to end slavery were in the north. The only logical conclusion is that the civil war was not fought to end or preserve slavery.

[@SandfordSmythe]

@@drakethesnek6429 How many in the North had slaves then? NJ with 12. You're not including the Border States are you.?

[@drakethesnek6429]

@@SandfordSmythe irrelevant information. The fact is they were the last states to pass laws banning slavery. Being a "border state" has no bearing on anything.

[@SandfordSmythe]

@@drakethesnek6429The Border States were never considered the North.

[@drakethesnek6429]

@SandfordSmythe oh really? So you're telling me Lincoln invaded those states? Are you telling me Lincoln didn't draft from those states? Did Delaware try and secede? The more you think about that statement, the less it makes sense. You were either a part of the north, or the south. There was no in between.

[@patrickfrost4338]

I have a friend from Georgia. I asked him the direct question. He said no it wasnt. He was TAUGHT his whole life from schools that slavery was the souths right to states rights. They left out which ones. I literally had to show him the declaration of war from the states.

[@84tand]

Ty Seidule wrote a fantastic book called “Robert E Lee and Me” about his journey as someone who idolized Lee, then came to understand his true colors.

[@adamleonard7097]

Been watching your channel for a while now and I’m glad that you as a person, reflect that the average conservative isn’t a hateful person. You are respectful and avoid politicising the narrative of history and present it as is. I’m glad that in this time of extreme political polarisation, there are normal, down to earth people on both sides and we can put aside differences and all share a love of history

[@jeffslote9671]

Conservatives tend to be the least hateful people in America

[@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

@@jeffslote9671that is not true. They are no different in proportion to any one else. This notion that one group is more hateful/less hateful than the other side is without basis in fact. It’s just self-perception.

[@LC-sc3en]

​@@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture while I agree that there is a capacity for equal hate on every side of the spectrum since all humans have the same capacity. And I will acknowledge that online discourse can be very awful from all sorts of people with all sorts of opinions. However, there appear to be practical differences as the right side of the spectrum seems to be inspiring a disproportionately large amount of domestic terrorism, legislation aimed a making the lives of those they dislike bad rather than focusing on what would help the largest number of their constituents. And a much more common preoccupation with making it more difficult for the local population to vote if the local population is not as far right as them. (See the Ohio bill to up the percentage of voters needed to pass ballot initiatives, the Houston district take over, the TN legislature making special rules for how Nashville can or can't run it's city government, MIS legislation to remove the ability to vote for judges and prosecutors from the people of Jackson and place it it the hands of the conservative state government.) Some people measure hatefulness and see any hate that results in real action taken as a sign the hate is stronger than someone who just verbally hates on someone.

[@samrevlej9331]

If a broken clock can be right twice a day, I suppose a PragerU video can be historically accurate once every decade.

[@BaeBunni]

It's generally how they get you. It's how they got me interested for 5-6 months. Without any truth and only propaganda it won't pull in more normies. The spell broke because of their stupid merry christmas vs happy holidays video because I knew for a fact happy holidays wasn't invented for the modern era it was invented over 100 years ago because christians didn't want companies to make money on christ so they demanded no merry christmas and to say something else.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

It's sad how the left can only learn love through hate. Only your desire for a "gotcha" against the South can get you admit your country was ever right about anything.

[@brain2372]

I’d love to see a video on the southern strategy next

[@stampede122]

The ‘work for me not for thee’ attitude or however the quote goes

[@TheEvilemperor999]

Videos like this give me that small glimmer of hope, and I'll give credit where it's due. This has to be the least propagandized video PU has produced, and to have someone as knowledgeable on the subject as you sit through it with us and confirm the majority of it did give me a smile. Thank you.

[@doncarlin9081]

I guess it was bound to happen but for the first time I’m in agreement with a Prager video 😅

[@byronward782]

The history professor, Ty Seidule, one of my heroes. This particular Prager presentation is eight years old, and he has since retired from the Army (as a BG). Five years ago, he gave the most amazing speech I have ever heard, harshly criticizing Robert E. Lee (basically calling him a traitor) at Lee Chapel at Washington & Lee University, the center of all things Lee, ending in a jaw-dropping moment, a standing ovation. See the lecture, and buy his book, Robert E. Lee and Me.

[@shanerjedi1138]

Ty Seidule(the professor in the video) is a Southerner and his book Robert E Lee and Me is a great read.

[@agentspaniel4428]

On a similar note Sam Houston (the hero of the Texas rebellion against Mexico) was opposed to secession whether or not he was pro or anti slavery I'm not sure

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

he was pro slavery. anti-secession.

[@kingofdash9175]

Houston hated slavery, but also owned slaves. He has a very complicated relationship with the institution

[@coldwar45]

He was a Southern Unionist that supported slavery.

[@joeclaridy]

So basically he was a complexed man

[@greatsageequaltoheaven8115]

​@@joeclaridyQuit sugarcoating he was a hypocrite that's it.

[@andrewgregger3081]

I already know this is going to be gold

[@Coffeeguy18]

Best PragerU video I've ever seen. That's not saying much but still got to give them some credit.

[@EmmaBonn96]

As someone from the far left of you, I actually enjoy your level of harshness vs generosity with Prager U. I can find several videos skewering them in entirety, and while I feel that’s earned I also like seeing how Prager U sounds to you in particular

[@reeseseater12]

So I believe the reason why some people deny it's about slavery is because people don't want to come to grips that their ancestors were awful humans fighting to preserve an institution that kept people in bondage. However people have got to get over that, go back far enough and we're all descended from awful people. (a huge reason why I try not to judge people based on our modern day standards, even some people we consider exemplary for their contributions to history would be considered crap people now on a personal level) So people have got to get over that, if you met your ancestors today there would be a handful you wouldn't like, and they probably wouldn't like us either for not living the way they feel is right. I do want to add in one thing. I was lead to believe that even though most confederate soldiers didn't own slaves they still fought for that institution because if slaves were free you'd have more people to compete with in the labor market and if you could pay a former slave less that's a threat to their livelihood. If that was a motivation for some then you could make the argument that you didn't need to own slaves to fight for that institution's preservation.

[@Chris-qo4rt]

The Confederate government was awful, doesn't mean every single soldier was. Their motivations might have been different. Sometimes good people just end up on the wrong side of a war for self-preservation. And many confederate soldiers had no choice but to fight because the government forced them to,

[@reeseseater12]

@@Chris-qo4rt they most likely were vehement racists and had no qualms with the institution of slavery. Sure, they may have been polite to some white people but most likely not good people (of course by today’s standards, back then they could be fine but things are relative to today, and even back then there were a lot of people who were against slavery) My point is, that’s ok if they weren’t good people because in their time they probably were within the average. Also, you can’t ignore those who did fight for slavery, even if they didn’t own slaves (like the example I pointed out, though the threat of economic hardships is very understandable, still not a reason to support slavery)

[@BradanKlauer-xh3hm]

@Reeseater12 Most soldiers on both sides from 1863-1865 were conscripts who could give two sh*ts about either cause.

[@reeseseater12]

@@BradanKlauer-xh3hm guys, this doesn’t have to do specifically with this conflict but even if conscripts they did fight for those causes and most likely supported the causes (even if that wasn’t their main reason for fighting) and there’s plenty of evidence out there such as journals of soldiers that show this. The point I was making was people get touchy when associating their family with bad causes throughout history

[@Chris-qo4rt]

@@reeseseater12 you could say the same about most soldiers at both sides. Racism and white supremacy was a pretty mainstream opinion in all of the country

[@AeonAxisProductions]

Short answer: yes Long answer: yeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssss

[@codyshi4743]

This is probably one of the only video that I like and agree from Prager U.

[@kaceydillin7367]

When people believe slavery is over, but I would counter by saying more people are bonded today, than ever before. The physical shackles are gone, but replaced with far more effective, and less obvious ones.

[@nicholascarter8315]

Sure

[@greenknightofwar7024]

When I’ve watched PragerU I often think it’s either going to be accurate, or using history to make a political point.

[@johnshelton1141]

I find their videos are highly accurate. Some people just can't handle the truth.

[@curtiswfranks]

I was expecting to be screaming at my screen the whole time, but this actually turned out well!

[@jmrm01]

There is an interview with the West Point professor on a different channel talking about how he was contacted by a lot of colleagues about the Prager U video. They were all surprised that the professor did a video for them because of the general low quality and poor scholarship of Prager U. The professor said that he had never heard of them before they asked him to contribute a video, but he was happy to tell Prager U viewers exactly the same thing he teaches at West Point. He was a little amused by the collaboration. It is still, by far, the best of the Prager U videos.

[@LC-sc3en]

Lol so it's like the one time a bunch of scientists did interviews for what turned out to be a flat earth movie?

[@jmrm01]

@@LC-sc3en A lot like that. To Prager U's credit, they didn't alter anything he said by editing. The result was a Prager U video that was accurate and not pushing a political agenda instead of facts.

[@paulpj]

I feel like if half think you’re too harsh and the other half think you’re too soft then you’re doing a good job

[@williamwilkinson7198]

Love the video man! In regards to your last PragerU reaction, I think both you and Candance were right. I think Candance was right in pointing out that Slavery was not an American tradition, it was a human tradition at the time practiced by many other countries to make their states more powerful at little financial cost. I think you were right in pointing out that the West still needs to look on it as a moment in its history it should not be proud of, and celebrate the fact its abolished.

[@musicfanatic5037]

Candice Owens neglected to mention that once Westerners started buying slaves from the slave trading tribes of Africa, they went out to get more and more slaves to sell. They didn''t just happen to have tens of thousands of slaves hanging around. Like all business, it started small and grew as the money came in. And her general tone of "Everyone else was doing it too" was particularly nauseating.

[@JROB447]

Candace was making a whataboutism. That was the problem. Ok, it happened in other counties but how does that take away from what happened on our soil?