My response to the article posted at
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/14/hale.confederate.history.race/
GP
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Ms. Hale,
I am appalled that you think Confederate History Month only means the four years the Confederate army fought for freedom and independence against an invading, overwhelming army of men and material . It means much more than that. It means studying the causes of the war, studying the men on both sides who fought this war and the old men women and children who were the innocent victims of immense brutality of the Unions “total war policy.” It means comparing The Confederate Constitution to the United States Constitution and seeing the Confederate constitution went farther to ban slavery that the United States Constitution. It means studying the Confederate soldier and his descendants and their contribution to building the United States. Confederate soldiers like . Col. Santos Benavides, 33 Texas Cav. , John Singleton Mosby, Consul to Japan, Dr. John Stith Pemberton inventor of Coca-Cola and Robert E. lee, the educator. Confederate History Month means doctors like Major General William Crawford Gorgas, Dr. Walter Peyre Porcher, Dr. George H. Tichenor and lets not forget Dr. James deBerty Trudeau, or Thomas Hunt Morgan or Holt Collier. Confederate descendants also include people such as Elvis Presley, George Patton, Elmo Zumwalt, Nathan Bedford Forrest III, Sir Moses Ezekiel, and Will Rogers. Confederate history Month also includes the study of men Like Grant, Sherman, and Lincoln who was a known racist. Without any study of the Union it would be impossible to form an un-biased opinion about the Confederacy. Madam to say that Confederate History is only about the war and Confederates is to say Black History is only about Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and their great deeds.
It is true the KKK was fighting the reconstruction government. What would you do if you had no rights and everything you worked for and owned was at jeopardy because of crooked politicians? The KKK’s official flag is the flag of the United States. There is no law banning the use of the Confederate Battleflag or the United States flag by any group. I for one am not sure I would want to see such law. It is to my way of thinking such a law could and would have an effect on us all.
Decorating graves??? Surely you are not against that act are you. Why don’t you look up Friendship Cemetery, Columbus Mississippi and see what it says about decorating soldiers graves and the date. I am sure you will be surprised. The Lost Cause is not “a decidedly partisan and self-consciously politicized account of the Civil War.” We use records known as the Official Records of the War of rebellion, letters the men wrote home, diaries, and the speeches of men such as Lincoln and Davis, historically accurate books and other publications of the period.
I would love to see your sources that prove the war was fought over slavery. I have yet to read any major player in the war stating we are fighting to free the slaves or we are fighting to enslave the black race. If it truly is a racial issue, then facts based on the Black Codes prove the North was fighting to keep both slave and free blacks out of their states. The truth of the matter is Lincoln would not let the South go in peace, and the move of Union troops to Fort Sumter, which violated a valid treaty, and Lincolns re-enforcement plan, sparked the war. is it also true that West Virginia was admitted to the Union, by Lincoln, as a slave state.? With this being said show me your un-biased sources that stated the war was fought over slavery and the south started the war.
So what if there is a Confederate memorial Day? There is a Memorial day to honor union soldiers. Why don’t you actually do a little research on the Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy and see what they do.
“Members of these organizations actively used their version of history to support the disfranchisement of African-Americans and the expansion of a white supremacist social order grounded in segregation. Across the region, Jim Crow segregation and Confederate commemoration expanded hand in hand, as the Lost Cause version of the Southern past justified the contemporary elimination of black rights.” This is an outright lie. We honor Black Confederates also, we welcome any and all Confederate descendants to join our ranks. Go to a re-enactment and see the black Confederate soldiers in camp. Lets tell the truth, the Union army was segregated until after World War II, the Sons of Union veterans is segregated as they have the (sons) United states Colored troops. Racism is alive in all parts of the country not just the Old Confederate states.
“Lynchers sometimes brandished Confederate symbols” Show me a photo.
the rest of your article from this point on is nothing more than trash reporting, the United States Flag was also well represented at all of these things you make reference too. I would suggest you look up some of the old KKK marches in Washington and see what flag they are waving.
Confederate History Month. Honoring heroes, celebrating true history. You have just been schooled.
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