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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004114S
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00:28 This heritage village recreates a very peaceful setting from 00:32 Parkville Church to a log cabin to a lovely home. But it 00:37 represents a world that was once torn apart from inside out 00:41 because of America's conflict over slavery. Today you're about 00:47 to make a remarkable visit to this village. It's a journey 00:50 that will spotlight some key conflict in your life quite 00:54 dramatically. 00:57 ♪ ♪ 01:20 Freedom runs deep in the soul of America. A spirit of 01:23 independence is what made the American revolutionary war 01:26 in 1776. The founders of this nation signed a document 01:32 declaring separation from Britain. It's known as the 01:35 Declaration of Independence, one of the world's most famous 01:39 documents. Representatives from 13 individual states signed at 01:45 the bottom and so was born the United States. Less than a 01:54 hundred years later freedom and independence would again become 01:58 an issue leading to war. The nation would be tested over the 02:02 idea that all men are created equal. The northern states 02:07 believed that the slaves should be free. The southern states 02:11 believed that they should be free to rule over other people. 02:16 In the 19th century most of the heavy industries existed in the 02:24 northern states whereas the southern states were mostly 02:28 agricultural growing cotton and other crops and for that a large 02:33 labor force was needed, slave labor. The economy of the south 02:38 centered on slavery. Slavery was the single most important thing 02:43 supporting the southern states. This key issue over slavery is 02:49 what led to the American Civil War. As Abraham Lincoln the 16th 02:57 president of the United States took office in March 1861, the 03:02 controversy between the north and the south had become very 03:06 aggressive. After years of sectional tension the election 03:12 of an antislavery northerner as the 16th president of the United 03:16 States drove many southerners over the brink. By the time 03:22 Lincoln was inaugurated in March 1861, seven southern states 03:28 had seceded from the union and formed the Confederate States of 03:32 America. Four more states would join them making what became 03:38 known as the Confederacy. The Civil War in America broke out 03:46 in 1861 when Confederate forces in Charleston, South Carolina 03:51 fired on Union troops near here holding Fort Sumter. It would 03:56 tear that country apart like nothing else in history. During 04:02 the next four years death would enter the experience of 04:05 thousands of families across this continent on a level 04:09 unimaginable. It's said that more American lives were lost 04:13 during the Civil War than all other American wars combined. 04:18 This terrible war involved every one in the nation in one way or 04:23 another. But one thing that's especially interesting about 04:33 this civil war is this. How it played out in people's lives, 04:37 in their homes, in families, between fathers and sons. 04:44 ♪ ♪ 05:05 Here in this house in Heritage Village you get a feel for 05:09 typical home life in the mid 1800s. It seems tranquil of 05:14 course. There are the hand looms and spinning wheels that mothers 05:18 and sisters used to turn wool cotton into clothing weaving 05:23 things together. But back then something else was tearing the 05:28 closest relationships apart. Henry Landstone was 19 when he 05:35 snuck out of a home like this. His family was from the state of 05:39 Kentucky, one of those border states between north and south. 05:43 Henry left to join a Confederate cavalry unit but his family were 05:50 staunch unionists. Slavery was wrong. The United States should 05:55 stick together. Henry's brother, in fact, had volunteered for the 05:59 Union Army. But this 19-year-old felt rebellious. He just had to 06:05 go off on his own. He decided to defy what he called the cursed 06:11 dominion of Yankeedom. A month later Henry sent this note to 06:16 his father... 06:35 Historians have pointed out that there were actually many young 06:41 of this generation who left the house and saw the Confederacy as 06:46 their way to rebel against a loyal unionist father. The 06:50 Confederate demand for independence meshed well with 06:53 some young men's', You can't tell me what to do. That Civil War 07:00 that began here at Fort Sumter resulted in divided families 07:04 in all kinds of homes. And it wasn't just a father-son issue 07:08 of course. As Confederate soldiers approached a Union 07:12 fortress like this one there were actually brothers against 07:16 brothers. Yes, fighting on opposite sides. Sadly, that 07:21 Civil War began tearing up many families. Yes, as canons like 07:29 these fired back and forth there were husbands against wives and 07:33 wives against husbands. There were passionate arguments for 07:37 and against slavery. As rifles and canons fired from forts and 07:42 trenches all over America there were fiery debates about the 07:46 intentions of President Abraham Lincoln. There were even 07:50 courtships that fell apart, lovers who would never become 07:54 one because of those issues. Yes, tragic conflicts burst out 08:01 in all kinds of homes. But as you walk through a village that 08:06 fleshes out life in another era this is what's especially 08:09 interesting. That era speaks very strongly to conflicts 08:14 inside each of us. That Civil War time, that time of divided 08:20 families uncovers our biggest conflicts. Let me explain. 08:26 ♪ ♪ This is the Magnolia Plantation 08:31 House in Charleston, South Carolina. It's one of those very 08:35 nice homes built in the slave era. And many people from the 08:39 city would gather here for those elegant southern banquets and 08:43 balls. Here's where people could gather and talk about everything 08:48 But guess what? They couldn't really talk about this, the 08:53 slave quarters. 08:54 Slave dwellings exist throughout the United 08:58 States in places we don't often look; like within city limits 09:02 behind those nice houses that tourists come and are told about 09:07 Right behind those houses are places where slaves once dwelled 09:12 And those places are just as important as the architecturally 09:17 significant houses. But we very seldom talk about it. It 09:25 depended on the crop that would be grown on the plantation as to 09:32 the severity of work that was required of the slaves. For 09:36 example, sugar cane was not a crop one would want to be 09:40 involved in as a slave. No place for that matter, but sugar cane 09:43 even more so. The sugar cane when it was grown once it was 09:50 harvested there were still other crops in the field at various 09:54 stages of growth so that life was continuous as a worker in 10:00 that particular crop. A lot of slaves that were worked on sugar 10:05 cane plantations were worked to death. It was not longevity for 10:08 slaves on sugar cane plantations On rice plantations, on the 10:13 other hand, is like where we are now a Magnolia Plantation. Life 10:16 was relatively easier. Relative because again we're talking 10:21 chattel slavery, that's slavery from birth to death. Any times 10:25 in these cabins would have been minimal. Most of the time would 10:29 have been spent in the fields working the fields except for of 10:34 course the children and the elderly. The elderly would stay 10:37 behind to care for the children or the cooking would be done 10:40 on the outside. Most of the folks working in the fields when 10:44 they got into cabins they would sleep because they would be worn 10:47 out. ♪ ♪ 10:59 The impact of slavery on the southern states was very huge 11:02 and very instrumental because the south was predicated on 11:06 slavery. They were predicated on the fact that they had in-slave 11:10 labor and the south was very agricultural. So without slavery 11:13 the south never would have existed if it functioned like 11:17 the north which had a lot of industry. So slavery actually 11:20 was the foundation of the south. 11:24 Alexander Stephens who became 11:27 the Vice President of the Confederacy after 1861 wrote a 11:34 document and made a famous speech where he talked about the 11:37 absolute right of each individual to determine who 11:41 would be free and who would be enslaved and then he went on to 11:45 delineate the fact that without slavery the south would 11:49 economically not be able to compete with the rest of the 11:53 world and he felt that in owning human beings it would be just 11:58 like owning a piece of industrial equipment right now. 12:01 He had the absolute right, he and his neighbors had the 12:05 absolute right to own people of African descent, to own native 12:09 Americans, to own anyone who was not Anglo-Saxon and to exploit 12:13 them for free labor. 12:15 The southern states were very 12:19 reluctant to give up slavery because all their money was tied 12:22 up in the institution of slavery Their money was mainly used to 12:27 buy land and to buy slaves so they were able to buy and borrow 12:33 against the slaves they owned. They owned the people here and 12:37 they used them as collateral to maintain their wealth. 12:47 That's the mentality that grew out of fallen farms like this 12:52 Magnolia Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. 12:56 The people who were prospered and who exploited black slaves 13:00 for long hours out in those cotton fields swore they were 13:04 standing on principle. They were defending their honor. 13:07 Confederates wanted to believe the Union was oppressing them, 13:12 robbing them of their rights. And do you know, there are many 13:18 people even today who still idealize that antebellum world? 13:23 They imagine the good life back in the south before the Civil 13:27 War. Confederate flags still fly Statues of Jefferson Davis, 13:32 head of the Confederacy still stand tall. Some southerners 13:36 today claim the Civil War wasn't really about slavery at all. 13:41 Rather it was about states rights. But the facts are 13:46 ignored. What actually happened after the north won the Civil 13:49 War? Slavery was eliminated but states' rights, that remained 13:54 about the same. There's a sense in which slavery became a deep 14:00 dysfunction in parts of America just like it did in many other 14:04 countries. It became a sick, twisted mind set for slave 14:08 owners. Well, do you realize that kind of denial is a key 14:18 human problem? Not just in America's south. It's very alive 14:22 everywhere. One of our biggest challenges as human beings is 14:28 pictured here at Fort Sumter where the Civil War began. These 14:32 fortress walls help us hide things. We all have big stone 14:36 walls inside us. There are things we just don't want to 14:40 face. We deny what we own and we don't want to have to talk 14:44 about it because we don't want to have to deal with it, the 14:48 hurt and pain when we confront issues. It could be chronic 14:53 anxiety and we try to hide it. It could be an addiction and we 14:57 pretend it's not there. It could be a need to control other 15:01 people that really impacts on others. Yes, human beings in any 15:07 village, in any city, don't just walk around the streets free and 15:11 easy. We're all carrying something, something that's part 15:15 of our identity and it's stuck in a fortress. It's something 15:20 that's causing distress and conflict. The biggest problem is 15:25 we cover it up with a big wall. We want everyone to look the 15:29 other way. We call out from our wall, The conflicts in my life, 15:34 they're not because of me. It's not my fault. Denial is a huge 15:40 problem just like many American southerners have looked away 15:44 saying The Civil War wasn't about slavery, it was about 15:49 something else. So how do we get past this? How do we get out of 15:54 this rut? A classic church has a point to make. 15:59 This small protestant sanctuary was built back in the mid-1800s. 16:05 Looking at this white structure you get a sense of order, 16:09 symmetry and balance that was the hallmark of classic 16:13 architecture back then. 16:15 What did congregations sitting in these wooden box pews do back 16:23 in the 1850s? There are no saints' statues or crosses 16:27 inside, no candles. It wasn't a place of formal rituals. But it 16:33 was a place of praise. This is a fine classic organ. This is 16:42 where hymns would rise up and the congregations' voices would 16:47 rise up toward the lofty tower. Back then many church songs were 16:53 based on psalms from the Bible. Many congregations recited and 16:57 sang those psalms quite literally in King James English. 17:01 ♪ ♪ 17:21 Well there's a distinct language which flows throughout the 17:24 psalms of scripture. It's a tone which suggests a child coming 17:29 before a parent and pouring it all out. There's a cry for help 17:34 in those 150 psalms. In fact, 41 of them are dominated by 17:40 pleas for rescue. The verses tumble out directly, Help me, 17:45 I'm in trouble and those troubles are spelled out very 17:49 specifically and honestly. I believe there's a reason for the 17:54 41 urgent appeals recorded in the psalms. It's a very basic 17:58 lesson that sometimes slips by us. God is simply telling us 18:03 Pour your heart out. Lay out your problems. That theme is 18:09 echoed here in the very structure of Christ's church. 18:12 This place of worship is dominated and lit up by these 18:17 stained glass windows and they're very vertical of course. 18:21 The colors go way up to the Gothic window arches. So as you 18:26 sit here singing psalms you're moved to open your heart upward, 18:31 let it all out to the Lord of the heavens. Look up, speak up 18:35 honestly and the light of the world will come inside. The good 18:41 colors will start illuminating your dark places. The structure 18:47 of Christian churches all over the world echoes that same theme 18:51 You will find cathedrals with very high stained glass windows 18:56 in major cities everywhere. They're so common they're often 19:01 overlooked but it's so basic, opening up to the God of heaven 19:05 pouring it all out. That's such a big first step in getting out 19:10 of your rut. Here's something else that contributed to closed 19:16 hearts. Do you know what these big, productive southern 19:19 plantations did back in the mid 1800s? They forced compromises. 19:25 Yes, compromises even up in Washington, D.C. with the 19:29 federal government. All that cotton and rice harvested and 19:34 all the other bountiful crops. Well, was contributing to the 19:38 national economy and so for years the north compromised with 19:43 the south. In 1854, Congress passed the Nebraska bill. The 19:49 United States was still expanding westward at the time. 19:52 Farmers and miners were sweeping into Indian country and that 19:57 bill created two territories in the Midwest, Kansas to the south 20:02 and Nebraska to the north. Most importantly it stated that 20:06 voters out there would decide whether it would be free or 20:10 slave soil. At that time, the conflict between free states and 20:15 slave states was getting more and more intense and congressmen 20:20 just didn't want to hand these new territories to either side. 20:23 They backed away. Let the Midwest voters decide. 20:28 These prosperous plantations, this antebellum world, which was 20:33 the southern world before America's Civil War, just 20:36 wouldn't let America as a nation state clearly slavery was wrong 20:41 and it's inhumane. But some people did want to say it 20:50 clearly and they were New Englanders. Three thousand New 20:55 England clergymen signed a statement to the U.S. Senate and 20:59 they had it published. Those ministers had something urgent 21:03 sent out. It pleased:... 21:05 In the name of the Almighty God and in his presence we solemnly 21:09 protest against the passage of the Nebraska bill. 21:14 These pastors didn't want to compromise with something so 21:17 hurtful, so dysfunctional. Slavery is wrong, we should not 21:23 tolerate it. And they sent out their message in the name of God 21:28 and in his presence. Yes, grace in the middle of a civil war. 21:39 That's what happens when people stay open to God and that's what 21:44 can happen to each of us if we get honest instead of deny. 21:48 If we confess instead of compromise. If we open our 21:54 hearts to the God of heaven then God's grace can sink in deep. 21:59 It can happen even when we're struggling with those chronic 22:04 issues, those inner conflicts. The apostle Paul give us a 22:08 wonderful assurance. This is what he promises to those 22:12 afflicted by worry, those burdened by chronic anxiety. 22:17 Here's what he says in Philippians chapter four 22:20 verses six and seven:... 22:42 Paul is saying that if we lay out our needs to God with 22:45 thanksgiving then his peace will prevail. Our hearts and minds 22:50 may be afflicted but his peace can guard our hearts and minds. 22:55 His peace surpasses all understanding. His peace is 23:00 stronger than a civil war. You know back in the mid-1800s 23:12 physicians would pay visits to people in little homes like this 23:16 one. And they had to treat many wounded soldiers. Well let me 23:21 tell you what President Abraham Lincoln did when he passed a 23:25 house where the wounded lay. He was in Fredericksburg, 23:29 Virginia in 1862. He wanted to go in and talk to the soldiers. 23:34 But people told him, No no, there are only Confederates in 23:39 there. Lincoln walked in anyway. A reporter asked him why. 23:44 These men, he said, are enemies through uncontrollable 23:48 circumstances. The president took off his hat and greeted the 23:54 soldiers. A few of these wounded Confederates came forward to 23:58 shake his hand. Most were too broken to move. So Lincoln 24:04 started walking by their beds. He took men by the hand and told 24:08 them to be of good cheer. He assured them they would receive 24:12 the best of care. This wasn't some public relations event. 24:17 It wasn't about the president's image. It was a private visit 24:22 that reflected this man who believed in malice toward none. 24:26 At the end of that visit, witnesses were weeping, even 24:31 reporters. And most of the Confederates had tears in their 24:35 eyes. Abraham Lincoln understood grace. He understood the basic 24:41 principles of the Bible and often quoted them. He talked 24:45 about placing my whole reliance in God knowing that he would 24:51 decide for right. Whatever conflicts you're having, 24:54 whatever struggles you've been experiencing, God has a way out. 24:58 His grace can take your civil war to a place of peace. So 25:04 please open your heart to God right now. Open hearts heal. 25:09 Tell him why you're hurting. Tell him why you're angry. Tell 25:14 him everything. Will you do that Please don't hold back. Please 25:19 don't hang onto the things that put up barriers between yourself 25:23 and others. If you're experiencing an internal civil 25:27 war with the ups and downs of relationships and the struggles 25:31 of life just seem too big to overcome then I'd like to 25:36 recommend a free gift we have for all our Incredible Journey 25:40 viewers today. It's the booklet Amazing Grace. As you read this 25:46 booklet you will be drawn closer to Jesus and find the peace that 25:51 only he can give. This booklet is our gift to you and is 25:55 absolutely free. I guarantee there are no costs or 25:59 obligations whatsoever. So make the most of this wonderful 26:03 opportunity to receive the gift we have for you today. 26:10 Phone or text us at 0436-333-555 in Australia or 020-422-2042 in 26:19 New Zealand or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free 26:25 offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with 26:30 no obligation. Write to us at... 26:44 Don't delay. Call or text us now 26:47 If you've enjoyed our journey to New England and our reflections 26:53 on the civil war we can have in our lives and the grace that 26:57 Jesus offers each one of us then be sure to join us again next 27:02 week when we will share another of life's journeys together. 27:06 Until then, let's pray for God's blessing. 27:10 Dear heavenly Father, we need your love and your grace in our 27:16 lives. We need you as part of all that we do. There are 27:20 hurtful things in our hearts right now. There are things that 27:23 are clouding our mind and we want to let go of them. Today we 27:28 lay them all before you. Please give us the strength to trust 27:33 you in this way. We ask for your forgiveness and love. We open 27:38 our hearts and minds so that you can fill us. In the name of 27:43 Jesus we pray, Amen. 27:45 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-09-21