Way back in 1950s Ohio, my sixth grade teacher asked us, “What was the Civil War all about?” Somebody (not me) raised their hand and said what we all thought was obviously the answer: “Slavery.” You can imagine our astonishment, confusion and dumbfounded silence when Miss X stood there with her bare face hanging out and firmly stated, “No. It was fought over states’ rights.” That is all I remember hearing in grade school about the U.S. Civil War. It was eye-opening for me. Up until then, I had blithely and childishly relied on teachers for truth and good sense.
!['Tom The Dancing Bug' Turns 20: Ruben Bolling's Award-Winning 2017 [Interview]](https://assets.gocomics.com/uploads/blogs/blog_image_large_4068_7479_Tom_The_Dancing_Bug_20th_Anniversary_201706271720.jpg)
Way back in 1950s Ohio, my sixth grade teacher asked us, “What was the Civil War all about?” Somebody (not me) raised their hand and said what we all thought was obviously the answer: “Slavery.” You can imagine our astonishment, confusion and dumbfounded silence when Miss X stood there with her bare face hanging out and firmly stated, “No. It was fought over states’ rights.” That is all I remember hearing in grade school about the U.S. Civil War. It was eye-opening for me. Up until then, I had blithely and childishly relied on teachers for truth and good sense.