In "THE ALTERNATIVE" author, George McNeish takes a look at the tensions building up between the slave owners of the South and the abolitionist from the North during the first half of the 19th century. He builds his narrative on actual historic events and includes many historical figures, but adds fictional characters that cause a decidedly different outcome. The characters struggle to make decisions based on conscientious and economic considerations. In the end these are reconciled to create a new society where everyone wins. "THE ALTERNATIVE" is History as it should have been and the devastation that took place in actual history is avoided.From the EpilogueI fully admit that the preceding has been pure fiction. I don't blame anyone if they find it unbelievable, but consider this, is it not more believable than thinking that a nation could cause more destruction and loss of life to its own people than any outside force has ever done? The history of the USA is filled with wars, yet no war took more American lives than the civil war. It took until the 1970's (about 200 years of almost constant war) before US casualties in all other wars exceeded the number of lives lost in this most devastating war. The horrible destruction of this war was not its only drawback. Reconstruction took more than one hundred years and still prejudice lingers between the white race and the race they formerly enslaved. The bitterness of losing a war and being forced into a value system that they did not agree with meant that the former slave owners did all in their power to assure the ones they had held as chattels could not prosper. There are times when injustice must be stopped no matter the cost. The horrendous system of North American slavery was very evil and the cost of stopping it was very high. Through changing laws, we prevent outward acts of slavery from being manifested, but until the heart changes, the spirit of slavery will remain. Slavery was a legal way for one group of people to exploit another and exploitation of others is not yet against the law. Indeed, those inflicted with the disease of greed will continue to find ways around the laws so that they may exploit and take advantage of those less fortunate. Not until they realize that these practices are not only hurting their victims but are holding back all of society, including themselves, will they have a change of heart. Once one experiences the joy of cooperation and helping others succeed, he will never again resort to greed.
About the Author: George McNeish's interest in the Civil War began while he was chair of the Fugitive Slave Chapel Preservation Project in London, Ontario. Finding that abolitionist, John Brown, spoke in the Chapel he began to study the life of this man. This led to studying the causes of the civil war. Being a peace advocate at heart, he then wrote a fictional History that suggested a way the Civil War could have been avoided. Having studied people, McNeish enjoys the challenge of getting into the heads of his characters. When writing about slave owners he needed to learn to think like a slave owner. The dilemmas his characters face are very realistic.