Confederate History Month: It’s a Celebration!

-- By StephanieOduro - 18 Apr 2010

Virginia's Republican Governor, Bob McDonnell? , proclaimed April as “Confederate History Month” for the first time since 2001. The two Democratic governors before him had refused to issue the proclamation sought each year by Confederate descendants. Virginia is not the only state celebrating the Confederacy. Georgia, Texas and Mississippi, just to name a few, also celebrate Confederate History Month. Prior to VA’s proclamation, I did not know that confederate history month even existed.

It is surprising that the issue of confederate history month in the states that have traditionally celebrated it has not been widely publicized in the media. President Obama made a comment that VA’s omission of slavery from its proclamation was unacceptable. I do not recall hearing statements from past Presidents when other states declared confederate history months for their jurisdictions. Regardless of whether one’s family was confederate or not, why choose to celebrate an era of oppression and inequality?

Governor McDonnell? said that his intent was to honor the sacrifice on Virginia soil and to promote tourism. He also originally chose not to mention slavery in his proclamation, saying that he “wasn’t focused on that.” He explained that he was “focused on the ones (he) thought were most significant for Virginia.” Moreover, Mississippi’s Republican Governor, Haley Barbour, defended McDonnell? 's omission of slavery from his proclamation claiming that the controversy over the omission was making “a big deal out of something that doesn't matter for diddly." It seems to follow that, at least for McDonnell? and Barbour, the plight of Virginia’s slaves does not rank among the most significant aspects of the civil war. It also seems as though McDonnell? 's failure to mention slavery as a reason for the war was not an oversight.

A national discussion of the Civil War’s history would be more educational than celebrating the Confederacy. Everyone should know and understand American history in it’s entirely: the good, bad and ugly. Yes, it is true that Confederate soldiers died trying to protect the Confederacy. Groups like the Sons of Confederate Veterans try to publicize the ''rich heritage'' of the Confederacy. But what exactly were they trying to honor? The problem with the celebration of Confederate History Month is that it venerates the secessionist, slaveholding South. Confederacy was a movement based on the buying and selling of human beings. No amount of sugar coating can change the reality that millions of slaves had their liberty and labor stolen to the benefit of white slave owners. Is this the heritage that gives Southerner so much pride?

To say that slavery was "only one" of the causes of the South’s secession from the Union is a myth. Slavery was the actual cause and everything else was rationalization. Can we honestly and truthfully say that the Confederates were not fighting to keep black people enslaved? For those who had any doubt that secession was to keep slavery alive, the following Mississippi declaration of secession before the Civil War speaks for itself: ''Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery -- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product, which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization.'' After reading that, Confederate supporters would have to have a delusional view of what is honorable to claim that secession was about “states rights” not slavery.

The cause for which the Confederacy fought should not be honored in any way. To honor the "principles" of the Confederacy is simply immoral. Would we tolerate "Apartheid Heritage Month" in South Africa or "Nazi Heritage Month" in Germany? More importantly, would the world community tolerate that? Governor McDonnell? ’s proclamation of confederate history month without mentioning slavery is like honoring German soldiers for their bravery in WWII without mentioning Nazism or the Holocaust. They call Germans who fondly remember the happy memories of World War II Neo-Nazis.

In addition, the argument that many Confederate soldiers were uneducated poor farmers trying to make a living does not excuse their misdeeds. Those soldiers chose to defend a system of degradation called slavery, just like the Nazi soldiers who fought for the Third Reich were defending and perpetuating an evil system. The South fought to keep the African-American race in lifelong servitude. And these slaves were subjected to hangings, rape, murder, beatings, separation of families via auction etc. by rich and poor white southerners alike. There is nothing to celebrate in Confederate History except the end of it. Confederate history month is not a celebration of Southern heritage. Instead it is disguising hate for so-called heritage. It’s about states that left the Union because they wanted to keep the institution of slavery.

People eager to participate in confederate history month have been flocking to Civil War reenactment sites, ready to don old-time clothing and shoot muskets for the viewing pleasure of tourists. Since Virginia claims that confederate history month is a ploy to increase tourism, the following suggestion might help garner more visitors: enlist black actors to reenact scenes on a plantation complete with cotton picking and tobacco rolling with a master on a horse cracking a whip. Indeed, the VA bureau of tourism might also want to have black child actors reenact scenes from being sold on the auction block. Don’t forget to include furious bidding! And what Civil War Era reenactment would be complete without a white master/black female slave rape scene? This is the Confederacy I know, and this is their legacy. Virginia, put your “heritage” on display for the whole world to see.

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