Nikki Haley’s attempts to clarify her remarks about the Civil War seem to require more explanation. For example, what exactly does she mean when she says that “it was about the role of government.” Every historian I know of acknowledges that the war led to a massive increase of power in Washington. Is this what she means?

Does she favor an activist central government, the kind that in 1962 gave us the Homestead Act and the Morrill Land Grant Act, transforming American life in ways that are still felt today? Does she support a strong Justice Department that will fight to protect the rights of minorities? Does she advocate for expansion of the franchise so that more Americans can freely and safely vote? Those are the sorts of actions that I associate with the “role of government” during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Or is she just mouthing platitudes without really giving much thought to the matter?

Robert S. Pingree

Concord