Confederate Flag & Monument-Sound Bite History: A Tool to Inflame the Ignorant
By Capt. Phil Walters
“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races – that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything.”
Future President Abraham Lincoln 1858
American History is a wide, rich and often conflicting mosaic of information. It can be difficult to dive into it and comprehend it’s meaning without a deeper understanding of human nature and the course humans have chartered since recorded time. Many in today’s “I want it NOW” self centered society attempt to interpret those who created the American legacy within the confines of today’s mores and “flash” values, often for political or self serving purposes. That is a disservice to the great people who provided to us the foundation for our prosperity, freedom and happiness we enjoy today.
The topic of “All Things Confederate are Evil” is a flash mob of cultural cleansing perpetrated by a small, self-serving portion of society determined to enflame the ignorant via “Sound Bite History” without any effort to put it into perspective or have educational dialog on the topic. This purging and cleansing with the resulting “good feeling by removing controversial sights so as not to offend” will not solve one problem or issue. I ask the question, where will the “offending” stop as there is plenty of ugly within the soul of mankind and the history of this great nation?
“The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department, are hereby expelled from the Department.”
General Ulysses S. Grant General Order #11 December 17, 1862
The divisive root of evil & sin of this conversation is slavery, of which is constantly directed to the Southern states and the Confederacy in general. Slavery is a human condition still practiced around the world and was instituted in each of the original 13 states. (Even still today in corners of this country as “human trafficking.”) To add some balance to the discussion, I pose these questions:
A) Who, for centuries captured, chained & sold the poor native Africans to the Dutch, Portuguese, British, Spanish, French and later AMERICAN traders for transit to the New World?
B) What part of America greatly profited from the “Golden Triangle” slave trade and used this acquired wealth to build their industrial base? (Hint: It’s not the South)
C) What impact did the Morrill Tariff, a Republican tax doubling the import/exports of the South have upon the Southern economy? Why did President Lincoln state the purpose of raising troops to suppress the Southern “Rebellion” was to preserve the Union and COLLECT the Tariff? (Remember, the war was fought to free slaves, right?) Note: 65% of the Federal revenue was generated & paid by the South with little of these funds returned to South for roads, bridges, ports, railroads or proposed allocated to free those in bondage. Why?
D) Explain Washington DC’s “Compensated Emancipation” Act of 1862 purchasing the freedom of slaves in Washington DC? Why wasn’t this offered to the rest of the Country, North & South? Could it be only to benefit the Washington elite and politically connected? Not in this country, right?
E) If the war was a crusade solely to end slavery, why did the slaves in the Union States receive their freedom AFTER those in the defeated South ?
F) Why was it offered by the Lincoln Administration, should the Southern States in Rebellion return to the Union prior to January 1, 1863, pay their 40% Morrill Tariff, that they could keep their slaves for an extended period of time? Thought the war’s sole purpose was to free them?
G) Why don’t we learn about the country’s greatest & deadliest race riot, the “1863 Draft Riots of New York” where over 100 black folks were lynched simply because they were black?
H) Why many Northern states had “Freedman Laws” limiting the time former slaves could visit the state before being removed?
I) Why did General Sherman order the pontoon bridge over Ebenezer Creek pulled out from under hundreds of Freedmen waiting to cross the river, resulting in the deaths of many of them from drowning?
J) If only 7-9% of Southerners owned slaves, why did 91-93% that did not own anyone go to war to keep the rich plantation owner in “High Cotton” resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties?
K) Why did the MILLIONS of slaves in bondage across the remainder of the New World gain their freedom without a war?
L) Why did the US military pay it’s black soldiers 2/3 of a white soldiers pay (when the US military finally accepted blacks) while the Confederate Congress mandated equal pay for black & white servicemen?
Simply stating the “Civil War” was fought by the moral & benevolent North to free the slaves in the South from the evil slaveholder is a simplistic statement. There’s much information available to those that search offering sound and strong rebuttals to the statement and plenty of interesting facts to the contrary. However, discussing these topics to the layman who has not sought comprehension of the period and is judging the past via today’s interpretation is a discussion similar to one with an intoxicated 4th of July Revelers who stated “since the rocket went up, just add more powder to it to get to the moon.” Additionally, these topics do not quickly pop up in Google searches, you really have to dig to find them. Of course, in this Country we would NEVER suppress information from the citizens that might conflict with the “Pop Culture” progressive narrative villainizing a specific & targeted portion of the Country; the South.
When you read un-sanitized history, trends emerge that assist you to comprehend that history definitely has a “cause & effect” as very little is random in human activity. Attempting to inflame people via their ignorance is a horrible manipulation. When you compare the history of the world to our great society, we should all be very thankful for being Americans here in America and thankful for the actions of our ancestors as THEY BUILT THE FOUNDATION for us, as imperfect and flawed as they were.
“There are few, I believe, in this enlightened age, who will not acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil.”
General Robert E. Lee 1862 after freeing the slaves he inherited
Across the globe, war, famine, slavery, genocide, tribal conflicts, religious persecution and ethnic cleansing along with a multitude of other miseries are alive and well producing millions of casualties each year. We have nearly eliminated these sad experiences in America due to the fact we are a country of good people, willing to correct a wrong and also help the downtrodden. If you wake each morning and chose to either be offended or disturbed by history, then you must not be thankful for our blessings of peace, harmony & prosperity but choose to seek unhappiness. Maybe this is due to “The grass is always greener…” or ignorance of the human experience or that we are constantly fed a diet of sanitized, Politically Correct” selective view of history, or rather “Sound Bite History” for divisive purposes.
Take note and pride that America IS the EXCEPTION to the rest of the world and has worked hard to change evil tendencies found in mankind. In many parts of the world, dissent is not allowed & if practiced could cost you & your family their lives. (Think ISIS & Sharia for example) Please let the wave of divisiveness & cultural cleansing pass and leave our historic symbols alone; however please take the time and effort to learn more of our unfiltered history. Leave the Confederate monuments & flags where they are! If we don’t learn from history’s’ lessons, we WILL REPEAT them.
“Every man should endeavor to understand the meaning of subjugation before it is too late… It
means the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be
trained by Northern schoolteachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the
war; will be impressed by the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as
traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit objects for derision… It is said slavery is all we are
fighting for, and if we give it up we give up all. Even if this were true, which we deny, slavery is
not all our enemies are fighting for. It is merely the pretense to establish sectional superiority
and a more centralized form of government, and to deprive us of our rights and liberties.”
Maj. General Patrick R. Cleburne, CSA, January 1864
Capt. Phil Walters
1st LCDR Judah P. Benjamin camp #2210 Sons of Confederate Veterans-Tampa.
I have over 30 Confederates in my lineage, none researched owned slaves. I take offense at my ancestors being called racists & traitors, generally by the same folks propagating “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.”
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