Another trashy letter from FilmCriticOne

Here is the letter with websites noted. You absolutely would not believe how many people who blindly accept this sort of posting as absolute fact. With terrible information and a message of hate here is the letter posted by someone who calls himself Film Critic One–

At Civil War

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http://www.nolanchart.com/article7035.html

Posted By: FilmCriticOne
Date: 2010-11-10 10:21:37

You are right, the Civil War — -and the period leading up to it — are often misrepresented in our classrooms, and popular culture (movies, music).

The truth about the Confederacy is perhaps more grotesque than we dare teach in school. For some reason, it has become politically incorrect to show what the Southern leaders themselves bragged about at the time, and the actions they took.

For example, no text book mentions the Five Ultimatums by the Southern leaders in March of 1861. The ultimatums were made by the same people who wrote the Southern Constitution – and the ultimatums were issued at the same time. Never mind what is in those Ultimatums — they would be the most important issues, as express by the Southern leaders, at the time. What were the Five Ultimatums? All these ultimatums were about slavery. The First Ultimatum was that slavery must be spread — by force – into the territories, meaning at the time, Kansas. Never heard of those ultimatums? That’s really my point. The ultimatums were announced proudly and loudly by Southern leaders themselves, and cheered in the Southern press. Why then are they not referred to proudly and loudly now? Or even, at all? See the Richmond newspapers March 23, 1861, where the headline about the Ultimatums reads “The TRUE ISSUE”

The true issue, according to Southern leaders THEMSELVES — not some historian writing later — was to force slavery into the territories, especially Kansas.

Now, Kansas had just won the war “Bloody Kansas” and voted an astonishing 98% to 2% against allowing slavery.

The Southern leaders — officially, loudly, and proudly, then demanded, under threat of war against the US — that slavery be FORCED into Kansas and the territories.

Clearly people in Kansas did not want slavery. But even more clearly, the Southern leader’s first ultimatum was to FORCE slavery into Kansas. The SOuth had just declared itself a separate nation, and the FIRST act by this new nation, was to issue an ultimatum to force slavery into areas not under it’s control, and more oddly, to demand the US force slavery there.
How’s that for state’s rights?

Were the Southern Ultimatums the odd and goofy “mistake” by a few radicals in Montgomery ? No. The ultimatums written by the exact same people who wrote the Southern Constitution and named the government. Who officially seceded from the US. There ultimatums were simply the articulation of what the South was up in arms about for decades. We don’t like to admit it now, but the spread of slavery was the main goal of those in power in the South, from 1820 on.

From 1820’s on, Southern leaders suppressed free speech in the South, via the “anti incendiary” laws. Before 1820, there were 130 anti slavery publications in the South, newspapers, pamphleteers, book publishers. But all that was shut down, by violence if needed, but shut down they were. Ships were searched, the mail was searched, and if anyone was accused of owning the wrong book, they were searched. Men were tried and tortured for owning any written material that “could cause a slave to be dissatisfied”. The growing number of slaves, and the increasing fear of slave rebellion, was the cause of the anti -incendiary laws. The fear of slave rebellion was so strong, that some in the South called for the arrest and execution of anyone in the NORTH who dared publish books against slavery. This was a life and death issue to many people in the South, who lived in fear of slave unrest. Jefferson Davis insisted that the “African slave was the most contented laborer on earth” until “the evil serpent whispered the lie of freedom” into his ear. Slaves fighting back, rebelling, running away- the Southern leaders blamed on the vile abolitionist, who “stirred up” the slaves. So a monumental effort was made to stop the “evil serpent” from whispering anything about freedom into the slaves ears. The slave owners could not grasp that the slaves THEMSELVES did not want to be slaves, to be beaten, to have their children sold, and all the other horrors that I won’t go into. Debow, the founded of Debow’s Review — said Almighty God silenced the opposition to slavery — but actually it was anti-indendiary laws, and the punishment of torture that silenced most opposition.

If you ever wondered why other states could end slavery — but the South never did — it was because those states that ended slavery, did it by free speech, by public discourse and voting. By books and pamphlets and sermons against slavery. Even sermons against slavery were punished in the South. Slavery might well have ended decades sooner if the people of the South were allowed free speech, free press, and freedom of religion. Slavery could not thrive where it was debated, where it’s evils were discussed, and where people were allowed to vote on it. Just speaking out against slavery, the Southern leaders found out, would cause unrest among slaves. You can not have the slaves even learning about the dispute, you must keep the slaves themselves unaware of the world which was denouncing slavery. Davis called it “the evil serpent” whispering the LIE of freedom, but it was actually the truth, shouting the RIGHT of freedom, that Davis and others did not want the slave to hear. Slaves could not be kept as slaves if they were upset, if they were rebellious. It would simply take too much force and violence to suppress slaves once they knew there was a an entire different idea about life — freedom. The South had to keep the slave in the dark, and tell him God ordained his plight. Slavery could not tolerate anything else.
The only way anyone can romanticize the South’s actions in the Civil War, is to be purposely blind to what really happened between 1820-1861. To be blind to the violent suppression of free speech, to be blind to the South’s violent attacks to spread slavery, and to be blind to the Southern Ultimatums issued by the Southern leaders in 1861.

Keep in mind, Southern leaders boasted that slavery was “the foundation — the cornerstone” of their new nation. Davis and Stephens BOTH bragged about it.

Davis said “Slavery was a Divine Gift” and that the South had always assumed slavery was the cornerstone of the Confederacy. Stephens said the Southern Confederacy was based “on the great moral truth” that God ordained white men to enslave the inferior black race.

What their leaders bragged about, what their ultimatums demanded, what their actions showed – somehow is over overlooked, particularly by people trying to romanticize the Confederacy. Learn what happened from 1820 -1861, and learn about the Southern Ultimatums to force slavery into Kansas and the territories, and then compare that to the romanization.

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I cannot say exactly where this letter originated but from what I have found it appears this could be the starting point, I won’t say for certain—–http://fivedemands.blogspot.com/ It appears this is nothing more than a copy and paste job by FilmCriticOne who didn’t take the time to do any simple research on any point.

I am a fair person, I have invited FCO and any of his copy and paste buddies, who believe this is factual and true, here to debate any point in the posting they wish to debate.

GP

http://fivedemands.blogspot.com/

Richmond Enquirer
Saturday Morning, March 23, 1861
The True Issue
….. The Northern States have driven the Southern States out, the Northern States must bring back the Southern States. ….. The ultimatum of the seceded States is left in no uncertainty; it is to be found in the solemn action of the Montgomery Constitution and may be analyzed as follows:
1)That African slavery in the Territories (Kansas) shall be recognized and protected by Congress and the Territorial Legislatures. (Keep in mind, Kansas had just voted 98%-2% against slavery, and fought a four year war aginst slavery.)

2)That the right to slaveholders of transit and sojourn in any State of the Confederacy, with their slaves and other property, shall be recognized and respected.

3)That the provision in regard to fugitive slaves shall extend to any slave lawfully carried from one State into another, and there escaping or taken away from his master.

4)That no bill or ex post facto law (by Congress or any State,) and no law impairing or denying the right of property in negro slaves, shall be passed.

5) That the African slave trade shall be prohibited by such laws of Congress as shall effectually prevent the same…………..