Imagine that you are a poor southern farmer who doesn't own slaves. Do you join the Confederate Army when the call goes out for volunteers? Why or why not? What are the risks if you don't?
If I were a poor southern farmer with no slaves, I probably will join the Confederate Army when the call goes out for volunteers.
First, I join the Confederate Army with basically though is protect and defense my families and my farm. Moreover, since I am not wealthy compare with other farmers who have their own slaves, I lived my own lives, run my own farms, and made it or not on my own sweat, and God's grace. Still I am a white man even that I am poor but in society I still above and I can look down at black slaves who do not have any right in southern place. In addition, many of my friends like me the independent small farmers, we have strong independent spirit, and I do not want anybody telling me how I have to live or do anything. I feel that federal government sending troops down there, to tell me how to live and put me in the same rank with black man, so I need to fight for my society. Just think that if the black man slaves become free and the federal government gave them the same rights that I already had like: they will have land which is belong to some white man like me, my neighborhood could be a black men too, not to mention sometime black man will have advance due to their strong and hardworking. Their children will go to the same school with my children. Then I would have more competition to survive (black slaves no way).
Besides that if we win the war I may have some benefit, I will have some more land some money and even I hope I will have some black slaves for my own to expand my farms and give my wealthy.