Zebulon Vance
Born May 13, 1830
Buncombe County, North Carolina
Died April 15, 1894
Washington, D.C.
Politician and lawyer
"I do not, altogether, share the general alarm that pervades the Southern mind. The taunts, the gibes, the sneers and the vulgar triumphs of ignoble spirits, which so annoy and mortify, were to be expected.… Happily it is not in the nature of man always to hate; and the reign of the bad passions is short-lived."
Zebulon Vance was an important political force for North Carolina for over thirty years. He attempted to ease the growing unrest between North and South in the years leading up to the Civil War (1861–65). He was a Confederate military leader during the war, but he had key differences with Confederate leaders over their policy of forced conscription (mandatory military service for all young men) and their harsh treatment of deserters (those who leave military service without permission). Following the war, Vance was a voice for reconciliation. As the Reconstruction era (1865–77) was ending, Vance served as governor of North Carolina and helped ensure the state was strong economically. From 1880 to 1894, he was a U.S. senator, promoting local self-government, individual liberty (freedom), and national unity.
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