Comments on: To Celebrate Confederate Heritage? http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/2008/04/08/to-celebrate-confederate-heritage/ Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:15:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Brendan Wolfe http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/2008/04/08/to-celebrate-confederate-heritage/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Brendan Wolfe Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:28:43 +0000 http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/?p=50#comment-13 Thanks for your comment, Jennifer. I disagree that Encyclopedia Virginia has caved in to propaganda. We are involved in the business of history here, and historians (North and South, I might add) have reached a broad consensus about the Civil War and about Lincoln. Surely that consensus suggests that Lincoln was not a tyrant but that many of his actions -- the suspension of habeas corpus in Baltimore, for instance -- pushed and even crossed the boundaries of executive power. Did his means justify the ends? Most historians seem to agree that his rather limited abuse of executive power was warranted. Perhaps this is hindsight, but it is but one part of a remarkable presidency. I don't have a dog in this fight, regardless. I'm not interested in holding up any Virginia tradition here; I'm not beholden to Patrick Henry or his memory. That, again, is not the business of historians. I appreciate, though, that you see it differently. And thanks again for the comment. Thanks for your comment, Jennifer. I disagree that Encyclopedia Virginia has caved in to propaganda. We are involved in the business of history here, and historians (North and South, I might add) have reached a broad consensus about the Civil War and about Lincoln.

Surely that consensus suggests that Lincoln was not a tyrant but that many of his actions — the suspension of habeas corpus in Baltimore, for instance — pushed and even crossed the boundaries of executive power. Did his means justify the ends? Most historians seem to agree that his rather limited abuse of executive power was warranted. Perhaps this is hindsight, but it is but one part of a remarkable presidency.

I don’t have a dog in this fight, regardless. I’m not interested in holding up any Virginia tradition here; I’m not beholden to Patrick Henry or his memory. That, again, is not the business of historians.

I appreciate, though, that you see it differently. And thanks again for the comment.

]]> By: Jennifer Snow http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/2008/04/08/to-celebrate-confederate-heritage/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Jennifer Snow Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:24:50 +0000 http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/?p=50#comment-12 I find it tragic that freedom from tyranny was a lost cause. I am from the north (New Jersey) and the part of history that I find is inaccurate is the deification of a tyrant (Lincoln) who even went so far as to have his soldiers in our polling places to ensure his reelection. Not to mention throwing the press in jail if they disagreed with him, deporting sympathizers, and opening fire on people who were protesting an unjust war. How is it that the Encyclopedia Virginia has caved in to the propaganda about The War of Northern Aggression? Isn't this the state that Patrick Henry was from? There was no war when Massachusetts seceded. How can anything about reconstruction be justified? We Were Wrong. I am woman enough to admit that I am ashamed of what my country did to another sovereign nation in the name of "union". And I am so sorry for what we did. A "civil war" by definition is the attempt to overthrow an established government; The South did not do this, they merely wanted to leave peacefully. We (as Americans) condemned the Soviet Union for not letting people leave, so why all the lies to justify what Lincoln and his Republicans did? Please, just open your eyes and look at the Confederacy objectively, circumspectly. You may just find that you too are saddened by the fact that freedom from tyranny is considered a lost cause when it applies only to certain groups of people. I find it tragic that freedom from tyranny was a lost cause. I am from the north (New Jersey) and the part of history that I find is inaccurate is the deification of a tyrant (Lincoln) who even went so far as to have his soldiers in our polling places to ensure his reelection. Not to mention throwing the press in jail if they disagreed with him, deporting sympathizers, and opening fire on people who were protesting an unjust war.

How is it that the Encyclopedia Virginia has caved in to the propaganda about The War of Northern Aggression? Isn’t this the state that Patrick Henry was from? There was no war when Massachusetts seceded. How can anything about reconstruction be justified?

We Were Wrong.

I am woman enough to admit that I am ashamed of what my country did to another sovereign nation in the name of “union”. And I am so sorry for what we did.

A “civil war” by definition is the attempt to overthrow an established government; The South did not do this, they merely wanted to leave peacefully. We (as Americans) condemned the Soviet Union for not letting people leave, so why all the lies to justify what Lincoln and his Republicans did?

Please, just open your eyes and look at the Confederacy objectively, circumspectly. You may just find that you too are saddened by the fact that freedom from tyranny is considered a lost cause when it applies only to certain groups of people.

]]> By: Jesse Dukes http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/2008/04/08/to-celebrate-confederate-heritage/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Jesse Dukes Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:17:32 +0000 http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/?p=50#comment-11 When I moved North (to Maine) and West (California, Oregon) after growing up Virginia, I found that the upside of a celebratory history of the confederacy was not something that most non-Southerners got. Catton's point resonates with me deeply (as somebody not steeped in the Confederate mythology). I remember Howard Dean's comment about wanting to get the guys with the rebel flags on their trucks into his political party, and the flack he drew from that. Dean's position seemed heroic and transformative--not racist. On the other hand, there's something problematic about celebrating a perhaps inaccurate view of history. I'm not sure that the point of history should be to salve, but instead, to teach. When I moved North (to Maine) and West (California, Oregon) after growing up Virginia, I found that the upside of a celebratory history of the confederacy was not something that most non-Southerners got. Catton’s point resonates with me deeply (as somebody not steeped in the Confederate mythology). I remember Howard Dean’s comment about wanting to get the guys with the rebel flags on their trucks into his political party, and the flack he drew from that. Dean’s position seemed heroic and transformative–not racist.

On the other hand, there’s something problematic about celebrating a perhaps inaccurate view of history. I’m not sure that the point of history should be to salve, but instead, to teach.

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