The Confederacy Isn't Something to Be Proud Of
By Eugene Robinson
Washington Post: Apr 12, 2010
It was bad enough when Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell proclaimed Confederate
History Month without mentioning slavery, but at least he came to his senses
and apologized. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's contention that the whole
controversy "doesn't amount to diddly" is much worse.
"I don't know what you would say about slavery," Barbour told CNN, "but
anybody that thinks that you have to explain to people that slavery is a bad
thing, I think that goes without saying."
And that's the problem-Barbour thinks it "goes without saying." The governor
of the state whose population includes the highest percentage of
African-Americans in the nation believes it is appropriate to "honor" those
who fought for the Confederacy. Clearly, he has no problem with revisiting
the distant past. Yet he sees no reason to mention the vile, unthinkable
practices-state-sanctioned kidnapping, torture and rape-that those
Confederate soldiers were fighting to protect.
It amounts to much more than "diddly" that so many Americans try hard to
avoid coming to terms with the reality of slavery. It wasn't just "a bad
thing." Littering is a bad thing. Slavery was this nation's Original Sin,
and yet many people will not look at it except through a gauze of Spanish
moss.
The Atlantic slave trade was one of the last millennium's greatest horrors.
An estimated 17 million Africans, most of them teenagers, were snatched from
their families, stuffed into the holds of ships and brought to the New
World. As many as 7 million of them died en route, either on the high seas
or at "seasoning" camps in the Caribbean where they were "broken" to the
will of their masters.
If he has never done so, Barbour should hold in his hands some of the leg
irons, manacles and other restraints that were used to subdue the Africans.
He should visit some of the plantations where slave cabins still stand-there
are plenty in his state-to get a sense of how the Africans lived. He should
spend a long, hot day picking cotton. He should read the accounts of
plantation life written by former slaves, and then he should explain why
there is any reason to "honor" soldiers who fought to perpetuate a system
that could never have functioned without constant, deliberate, unflinching
cruelty.
The point, of course, is not that Haley Barbour, Bob McDonnell or any other
white Southerners living today are responsible for crimes committed long
before they were born. They shouldn't have to feel guilty for things they
didn't do. But they-and the rest of us, too-should know the extent to which
the history of this country was shaped by what was euphemistically called
the "peculiar institution." Americans should know, for example, that Wall
Street's rise as a financial center was largely fueled by the cotton trade,
which could not have functioned without slavery-and that when the Civil War
began, the mayor of New York, Fernando Wood, tried to find a way for the
city to remain neutral so that it could continue its lucrative business
dealings with the South.
What "doesn't amount to diddly" is the revisionist notion-which Confederate
History Month celebrations perpetuate-that the Civil War was about something
other than slavery. The "lost cause" die-hards insist that the treasonous
rebellion was a fight over freedom or the Constitution or states' rights.
But the "right" that was being fought over was the ability to own human
beings, compel their labor, buy and sell them as if they were livestock,
exploit them sexually and torture or kill them if they tried to escape.
McDonnell's apology, at least, recognized that slavery was nothing to be
proud of. It should be noted, however, that Virginia's previous two
governors-both Democrats-did not feel the need to proclaim Confederate
History Month. McDonnell's original proclamation, before he amended it,
seemed designed to appeal to a fringe group for whom the Civil War is still
an open question.
This is a free country-for black people, too, thanks to the defeat of the
Confederacy-and so if some white Southerners want to celebrate the
"heritage" of slavery, they are welcome to do so. But while they're
entitled to their own set of opinions, they're not entitled to their own set
of facts. I'd say that Haley Barbour's studied ignorance was "a bad thing,"
but that would be a gross understatement.
Eugene Robinson's e-mail address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com.
© 2010, Washington Post Writers Group
***
A REPUBLIC, NOT A PROPAGANDA STATE
Who: John Nichols and Robert McChesney
When: Sunday, April18, 7 p.m.
Where: Venice United Methodist Church,
2210 Lincoln Blvd., in Venice,
just north of Venice Blvd.
WASHINGTON, DC - Progressive Democrats of America will sponsor a panel
discussion, "[The Fight for Journalism and Democracy in the 21st Century
https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/309/mtglistproc.asp?formid=meet&caleventid=16684],"
featuring John Nichols and Robert McChesney, beginning at 7 p.m. at the
Venice United Methodist Church, 2210 Lincoln Blvd., in Venice. Featured
guests will include PDA Advisory Board co-chair Mimi Kennedy and
PDA-endorsed congressional candidate Marcy Winograd.
Nichols and McChesney are the founders of [Free Press
http://www.freepress.net/]. The organization promotes diverse and
independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism, and
universal access to communications. "John Nichols and Robert McChesney are
the Thomas Paine and Paul Revere of our time," said Bill Moyer. "We ignore
them at democracy's peril."
The panel discussion is the last stop on the PDA tour, a series of events to
support PDA-backed candidates and organize support for the Healthcare NOT
Warfare campaign. It follows a Meet & Greet with PDA-endorsed congressional
candidate Tracy Emblem in San Diego on Tuesday night, an Orange county
reception
<https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/309/mtglistproc.asp?formid=meet&caleventid=16606>
to benefit the Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign on Wednesday night, and
attendance at the state [Democratic convention http://cademconvention.org/],
April 16-18, where PDa will promote the Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign.
The California Democratic Party passed a 'Get out of Afghanistan' resolution
in November 2009. "With comprehensive single-payer healthcare legislation
(SB 810) pending in California and a $33 Billion Afghanistan supplemental
spending bill in Congress, the Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign is right on
target among California Democrats," said PDA national director Tim
Carpenter.
Carpenter continued, "The week will be exciting and energizing, as we work
within the California Democratic Party and with outside grassroots groups
throughout the state on our shared progressive priorities."
Progressive Democrats of America is one of the nation's fastest-growing
grassroots political organizations; it recently celebrated its fifth
anniversary and has active chapters in 45 states. PDA is dedicated to
reviving the progressive tradition of the Democratic Party through
grassroots organizing and working with elected Democrats to advance peace,
justice and social, economic and environmental responsibility. More
information is available at: [http://pdamerica.org http://pdamerica.org]
For more information contact:
Linda Sutton
Los Angeles, CA 818-992-5187
Laura Bonham, PDA Communications Coordinator:
Laura@pdamerica.org, (435) 336-2123
Tim Carpenter, PDA National Director:
Tim@pdamerica.org, (413)-320-2015
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