Civil War talk in presidential contest reveals fresh divisions on race

What started with a single question from a voter about the origins of the Civil War has morphed into a sprawling political clash over a monumental event in American history, making the Civil War a major component of a presidential election for the first time in recent memory and exposing fresh divisions over race, history and progress.

Since former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley did not mention slavery when asked two weeks ago what sparked the conflict that tore apart the nation from 1861 to 1865, every major presidential candidate has weighed in on it. Their commentary sheds light on how each party is addressing long-standing divisions over the legacy of its most divisive period — and what they mean for the current battles over race in America.

Republicans often downplay the worst components of the Civil War era, arguing that the country has moved far beyond its earlier sins and does not benefit from resurfacing them. Democrats, by contrast, see an integral tie between America’s history of racism and its modern-day reality, and draw very different conclusions about what is needed to address that history.

“The Civil War has never really left American politics — it just seems to have exploded in this moment,” said Tim Galsworthy, a historian at Bishop Grosseteste University who is writing a book about the Republican Party and memories of the Civil War. “When the U.S. is divided, the Civil War becomes that great reference point, because it’s the ultimate moment of division.”

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