Rating: 
Summary: Not a History Book
Review: In writing "The South Was Right!" brothers James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald Kennedy have composed a book that purports to be an "authoritative and documented study of the mythology behind Civil War history." As Neo-Confederate propaganda, this volume is not without interest, but its purpose is most certainly not to reveal a balanced and accurate view of history. Naturally, it does have some truths sprinkled through it, but overall it is written with an extremely strict and exclusive bias. The book is mostly an anti-federal-government, anti-liberal, pro-present-day-secession rant, filled with archaic, inflammatory rhetoric such as: "The Southern political Scalawags and their fellow travelers are the keys to maintaining Northern liberal political domination of our Southern homeland." Using the lopsided logic of "the Yankees did the same and worse," the Kennedys want to excise altogether the notion that slavery was an issue that triggered the conflict. The book does not include the Articles of Secession, which clearly have the retention of slavery at their center. The Kennedys go to great lengths to propose that African Americans fought in the Confederate ranks, and to include African Americans as part of the overall Southern culture. In contrast to this, it is important to know that the Kennedys are founding members and directors of the League of the South (formerly the Southern League). This organization's president, Michael Hill, has written, "At [the South's] core is a European population, especially Anglo-Celts, that must be preserved as the dominant majority." Just how do African Americans fit into this perspective? The Kennedys make no mention of General Pat Cleburne, arguably one of the South's greatest battlefield leaders, and his 1864 formal "Proposal to Make Soldiers of Slaves and Guarantee Freedom to All Loyal Negroes." Cleburne's plan met with such opposition that his loyalty to the Confederacy came into question. Confederate Secretary of War James A. Seddon put a gag order on the proposal, stating that it "can be productive only of discouragement, distraction and dissension." Further, Cleburne's proposal was ordered to be suppressed. Thus we see the Confederate government's true position on the potential inclusion of African Americans in the fighting ranks. The Kennedys are certainly entitled to their opinionated view. As a Southerner, and in fairness, I find much of historian James M. McPherson's writings to be reprehensibly anti-Southern, in particular his suggestion in "For Cause and Comrades" that all Southerners, if not fighting directly for slavery, were fighting for white supremacy. American history should never be presented with such blatant bias -- one way or the other. If one has an interest in a fair, balanced view of the history of the War Between the States, and the issues surrounding it, I highly recommend the three-volume "Civil War Journal" series; "A Meteor Shining Brightly," edited by E.M. Joslyn; and, of course, Shelby Foote's unparalleled masterpiece, "The Civil War." I urge readers to immerse themselves in as many facts -- not pseudo-historical illusions or delusions -- as possible, and deeply consider their sources.
Rating: 
Summary: Correcting subverted Yankee history
Review: Even as a Southerner I was dumbfounded at facts even I wasn't aware of due to the cultural genocide inflicted upon the South by Northern re-writers of history bent on the re-education and brainwashing that has been going on since Reconstruction. If you think the War for Southern Independence was all about slavery, you had better read this book. If you want to understand how our Constitution has been subverted from the original document in order to expand the powers of the Federal Government, you had better read this book. And if you want to understand why a free and independent Southern movement is as relevant today as it was in 1860, this book is a must.
Rating:
Summary: The South Was Right and this book proves it!
Review: This book is clearly written from the Southern perspective with detailed documentation and thorough research. All the myths we've been taught in school will be shattered, and should challenge the reader to continue reading other books exposing the truth about the War for Southern Independence. For a Southerner, it is necessary reading! If you are beginnig to study about the "Civil War" or Southern History, start with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Finally we are told what really happened!
Review: "The South Was Right!" is an essential book for all Americans to read, especially Southerners! About half of the book is devoted to telling us what really happened in the War for Southern Independence. Each incident discussed is backed by facts including letters written by soldiers, official United States government reports, and interviews of people involved conducted in the early 20th century. This book dispells the Northern myth that the Union came down to save the slaves from the "evil" Southerners. It also shows that Abraham Lincoln was not so honest; in fact, he was an early Hitler or Huessein. This book is not just for Southerners. It should be read by Northerners too, so that they can realize that the history they have learned is a lie! Please read this book, weigh the evidence, and judge for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: It WAS right, and this book demonstrates this
Review: in an informed, supported, and professional manner. I am much impressed.
Rating:
Summary: THE TRUTH HURTS DON'T IT YANKEES?
Review: This is one of the greatest books of all time. The Kennedy brothers expose all of the myths that fill the Yankee-written history books. Why would hundreds of thousands of Southerners give their lives so that a few rich plantation owners (who many of them abhored) could keep their slaves? The War of Northern Aggresion was not about slavery, it was about preserving the freedoms that our nation was founded upon. Just look at the name of our country: we're not the Republic of America or the Commonwealth of America we're the United States of America - individual state governments united for the common good. Isn't that the exact definition of a confederacy? What right did the North have to tell the South that they could not secede? Didn't the United States win its independence by seceding from Britain?
Rating:
Summary: "Should be a text book in every school"
Review: Five stars for effrontery. There is an absurdity here that defies the words to describe it. When pondering this book, I can only think of the song entitled "Spring Time for Hitler and Germany" to find a more ironic, sad and ludicrous display of that demented and warped side of humanity, and it's justification of hellishess and effrontery to God, and nature. Is it possible that adults would actually attempt to make a case for Confederate butchery by citing examples of Union butchery? Slaughter is slaughter. Amazingly, the recitations sound more like small children in a school yard than adults attempting to reconcile a dark period of human history. Does anybody out there remember the commandment "Thou shall not kill"? For all of you who romanticize humans buying and selling other humans, the nature of warfare, and noble causes that turn one human against another, than let me offer this. I understand the nature of blood lust as much as the next screwed up human being. Any of you who encourage this behavior for what ever reasons, especially because of drama, feelings of persecution, lack of self esteem, hatred, killing that seems an interesting and valuable way to live out lost or pathetic lives, or simply as a fun way of getting even, than let me offer this thought to you: that what you say, think and choices made in this life time are not only accountable at some point in time, but that they are responsible for the lives and future lives of your children, and children's children as well. Yes, perhaps "The South Was Right" should be a text book in every class room along with Mao's Little Red Book, Mein Kamp, Dante's Inferno, and on the lighter side the Marque de Sade, and the memoirs of Joseph Stalin. In honesty, I do believe that this type of authorship should be read and viewed as an excellant example of the mind working of we most flawed human beings.
Rating:
Summary: The REAL History of the War for Southern Independence!
Review: At last, the truth is told about the history of the War for Southern Independence, as well as the right of secession, as defended through the 19th century until 1860. As for the previous review, which speaks of the States SURRENDERING their sovereignty, the reviewer shows his ignorance of history and the views of the Framers, as seen in the Federalist Papers, which clearly show that the States DELEGATED their Sovereign Rights, but didn't SURRENDER them: the difference is CRUCIAL to an understanding of our original Republic of Republics. Several States reserved the right to RECALL their delegated powers, in their very instruments of ratification! SOME folks need to read unbiased history!
Rating:
Summary: A sterling example of falsified history
Review: Other critics of the book have pointed out multiple flaws of fact and interpretation. Several key points bear repetition or extension. The favorite myth of the Kennedy's and their ilk was that slavery was not one of the root causes of the American Civil War. A few minutes of reading the various secession declarations, beginning with the South Carolina Declaration of Causes, disabuses the fair reader of this point. Amusingly enough, Confederate support for States' Rights is also easily debunked by the same documents, which complain of failures of the Federal Government in enforcement of laws opposed by individual states. It's also noticeable that the Confederate Constitution was much more restrictive than the US Constitution on the rights of states and banned secession. The Kennedy's also fail in their presentation of economics. A quick review of export and shipping trends (cf. The Statistical Abstract of the United States or equivalent British works) shows the steady loss of Southern economic power. The mid-nineteenth century saw a steady decline in the value and volume of American cotton exports as colonial cotton became more important. Also, prior to the Civil War, exports through southern ports were artificially high due to the importance of New Orleans and the Mississipi for shipments from the Midwest. As railroads spread across the Northeast and Midwest, exports through Boston, New York and Philadelphia as well as other ports grew steadily. Again, these trends are readily discoverable with a modest amount of reading. Issues regarding Ft. Sumter are readily determined by first reading the US Constitution that grants ownership of forts and related property to the Federal government as well as extraterritoriality. The issue then becomes one of illegal seizure of property by South Carolina. It's also worth recalling that the first shots on Fort Sumter were fired on 12 January 1861, two months before Lincoln was inagurated as President. The decision to hold Ft. Sumter was taken at that time by the Buchanan presidency (in an amazing display of backbone). The Kennedy's have grossly violated the ethics of historical research by deliberately falsifying their sources or by selective quotation. I would also recommend that anyone interested in this topic read Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic.
Rating: 
Summary: The Good Guys Don't Always Win
Review: I had read much of what is in this book from other sources, but I never put it all together like it is here. If you think the Federal government has become too powerful and unresponsive, The South was Right! is for you. The authors use too many exclamation points for my tastes, starting with the title, but this is a well documented book, with lots of references. They are very emphatic about their position, but perhaps we all needed to be woken up. This book is not an apology for slavery or racisim. This is an important book. Read it and form your own opinion.
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