Reconciling History
As I'm researching family history, I'm finding it very difficult to reconcile the timeline in my mind. I think of immigration as a contemporary happening. Something that occurred in modern times. But I think of the Civil War as an old fight. An antiquated quarrel that couldn't have happened in the recent past. And yet it wasn't long after the Civil War that my Zogg ancestors immigrated to America (less than 10 years actually). What made them think that a country divided would be a better place to be than the picturesque village of Grabs, Switzerland?
It's hard for me to imagine that the Civil War was so relatively recent. On this MLK Day, I think about the fact that it was only 50 years or so ago that segregation was "abolished." And even now it remains in some ways. Last night I was watching Oprah's Master Class featuring Maya Angelou. I had never read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," so I decided to start reading it. The whole concept of race determining status is so foreign to me that I can hardly believe it has been that way in our recent lifetimes. It was only 150 years ago that the Civil War brought an end to slavery. Only 160 years ago that MY OWN family left Negroes - PEOPLE - to their heirs in their wills... like they were a piece of property. It's simply inconceivable to me.
It's hard for me to imagine that the Civil War was so relatively recent. On this MLK Day, I think about the fact that it was only 50 years or so ago that segregation was "abolished." And even now it remains in some ways. Last night I was watching Oprah's Master Class featuring Maya Angelou. I had never read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," so I decided to start reading it. The whole concept of race determining status is so foreign to me that I can hardly believe it has been that way in our recent lifetimes. It was only 150 years ago that the Civil War brought an end to slavery. Only 160 years ago that MY OWN family left Negroes - PEOPLE - to their heirs in their wills... like they were a piece of property. It's simply inconceivable to me.
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