Neo-Confederate romance with past effects present
Published September 01, 2003
When given notice of his hearing, to be held at a Shoney's, the effeminate New England phlegm-maker replied, "I don't eat at Shoney's!"
Score one for the good guys. Kudos to General Morris, Thirty Pieces of Silver to J.E.B. Stuart Camp (to be hereafter known as the Judas Iscariot Camp to avoid confusion with the J.E.B. Stuart Camp in Pennsylvania), and may Ken Burns realize the error of his ways and repent before he meets General Sherman and Abraham Lincoln in the hereafter.
One second thought, the hell with him!
If Wilson continues supporting the plans to memorialize Reconstruction, he will likely be denounced and rejected by the SCV.
What are the sites so offensive to neo-Confederates they oppose monumentalizing them?
The Penn Center, the first school in the South for freed slaves, is one of the Beaufort County sites. The others are:
• The Freedmen's Bureau, where ex-slaves first voted
• Michellville, on Hilton Head Island, established as the first freedmen's village
• The Old Fort Plantation, where the first ex-slaves gathered to hear the Emancipation Proclamation read, and
• The Robert Smalls house and other sites associated with the Reconstruction leader and Civil War hero.
Opposition to Americans remembering these places, the first of their kind since many slaves in South Carolina were effectively free in 1860, is opposition to the end of slavery. Many people would like to believe that the neo=Confederate movement is unimportant. However, when we see actions such as this effort to prevent American history from being recorded, it is obvious the movement is powerful enough to be a threat in regard to matters important to all of us.
One of our most respected historians summarizes why this controversy matters.
"I think this is really ridiculous," said Eric Foner, a Columbia University history professor who is recognized as the leading authority on Reconstruction.
"Reconstruction is one of the most misunderstood periods of American history. There was great progress and great failure in many ways. But it was an integral part of our history. A new and up-to-date version of Reconstruction can benefit everyone."
Note: My weblog is Mac-a-ro-nies. I've also contributed to other blogs, including my blog father Atrios,' and those of my blog brothers Roger Ailes and Zizka. Much of my material about the neo-Confederate movement is on those sites. (This one is for you, Joe.)
- Neo-Confederate romance with past effects present
- Published: September 01, 2003
- Type:
- Section: Books
- Filed Under: Books: History
- Writer: Mac Diva
- Mac Diva's BC Writer page
- Mac Diva's personal site
- Spread the Word
- Like this article?
- Email this
Save to del.icio.us
Comments on this articleComments
Really? And, I could have sworn that I am gal from North Carolina some of whose ancestors were here all along.
And to think that all those goods, land, money that was stolen by the carpetbagging yankees during reconstruction was really for our own good. All the citizens who were murdered and beaten, was for our own good. All our churches and universities vandalized and burned, and it was really good for us. [personal attack deleted] Try reading "The Tragic Era" by Bowers, for a true look at what the horrible period called "reconstruction" was really like. [personal attack deleted]
Saying I am descended from the 'property 'the commenter above claims was stolen from his ancestors by the Civil War, i.e, slaves, is not a personal attack on anyone. However, seeing it deleted is an excellent reminder of Right Wingers' desire to 'erase' slavery. Meanwhile, the commenter's screeching about being deprived of human chattel is left intact. But no-o-o, Right Wingers are not bigots.
Being of Slavic descent, and of immigrants who came to the US 25 years after the Civil War ended, I really don't have a dog in this fight, or any ancestral spat. I suppose I could hold some grudge towards people of Germanic and/or Russian descent, since the word Slavic has a literal root (Slav = slave) and their great-great-great-great-grandparents were owning mine, but I can't see any real point.
In the same way, I can't see much real point in those who continue this spat in the US today, on either side. The Civil War ended 139 years ago, folks, and none of you had anything to do with it. None of you were wronged in any way by the Civil War or by Reconstruction.
Of course, it is fun for me to go to Atlanta and wear my 'Sons of General Sherman' t-shirt.
Stop taking your life in your hands, Mike-:).
My years in Atlanta have got to have been among the most schizoid I've known. My friends were a diverse group of all races, both genders and some internationals. But, the neo-Confederate ethos was still very much present. Among other things, I learned there were still clubs and restaurants where people of color are not welcome. The hatred directed at the political establishment by some white people was amazing. Still, we were young and had a lot of fun. Sometimes, I miss the place.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/8009)
your nonsense is just more liberal anti-southern bigotry that has been spewed at the south by virulant yankee radicals for along time and will not go away. you do more to divide us than anyone.