The Secession Gala we wrote about in yesterday’s blog took place as scheduled last night in Charleston, S.C. Some among the 400 gala attendees showed up in antebellum costumes, some even in Confederate uniforms, while most wore modern formal clothes. About 100 protesters, black and white, stood outside the civic auditorium where the gala was held. The $100-a-person gala was organized by the Confederate Heritage Trust, a private group; CHT spokesmen said the event was meant “to honor the Southern men who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their homes and their vision of states’ rights,” while one spokesman called the secession movement in S.C. “a demonstration of freedom” and denied that secession had anything to do with slavery. Back in the real world, however, many, including this writer, have pointed out that the very documents declaring secession from the U.S. repeatedly presented the preservation of slavery as the main reason for leaving the Union. As John Adams famously said, facts are stubborn things.
It has to be emphasized here that the CHT is a private group. The state’s official Lowcountry Sesquicentennial Commission is presenting a much more thorough, and balanced, four-year series of observances, commemorations, programs and lectures that are looking at the Civil War from the Northern, Southern, and African-American points of view. If you don’t think that’s a huge improvement in official S.C. attitudes, then you don’t know that state’s history. Check out a good column on the subject by Will Moredock, a former Creative Loafing news writer who writes weekly for the Charleston City Paper. For more details of yesterday’s gala and protests, including a good photo gallery, read this article from the city’s daily Post & Courier.
Earlier in the day yesterday, a disciple of S.C. congressman Joe “You lie!” Wilson apparently attended the unveiling of a new Charleston historical marker commemorating the signing of the Ordinance of Secession. When Charleston mayor Joe Riley talked during the unveiling about the direct relationship between slavery and secession, someone shouted, “You’re a liar!”
To repeat something from yesterday’s post, there’s no problem with commemorating events of the Civil War. In fact, considering its importance to our national history, it would be kind of crazy not to commemorate it. Commemoration of a devastating war whose root cause was the practice of slavery becomes a problem, however, when it turns into a festive celebration. But then, Charleston’s bluebloods have never turned away from self-involved partying. Heck, during the bombardment of Fort Sumter, while the noise of the cannons roared nearby, the secessionists of the planter class were busy throwing parties on their rooftops, drinking freely and toasting themselves for the “great moment at hand.” All of them, it seems, had forgotten that when S.C., at the instigation of S.C. political giant John C. Calhoun, tried to nullify a federal tariff law, Pres. Andrew Jackson (of South Carolina, no less) sent troops to Charleston to enforce federal policy, and threatened to have Calhoun hanged. Memory and history are often two different things, as we’re seeing now and will no doubt see a lot more of in the coming four years.
This article appears in Dec 21-27, 2010.
Unlike many of you people, I am ashamed of our country’s history of religious white people believing that they had a right to own black people.
I also don’t know how people whose ancestors started a war in which millions of people died can keep telling everyone how proud they are that they did it.
So, how come several slave states remained in the Union? How come slavery remained legal in the Union?
How come the Emmancipation Proclaimation only freed slaves in the South? And, slavery remained legal in Missouri, Maryland, West Virginia or Delaware?
Finally, how come American blacks elected a President whose ancestors in Africa were selling their ancestors into slavery in the US?
“Finally, how come American blacks elected a President whose ancestors in Africa were selling their ancestors into slavery in the US?”
No one can be that stupid…
It’s not that black people are stupid for voting for Obama. They are just uninformed like most whites as well. Barack Obama is a rabid Zionist. That’s why his entire administration is packed with dual-citizen Jews. No other country in the world besides Israel is allowed to have dual citizens in this federal government. They have the keys to the castle and have ruined the country with corporatism and currency manipulation. They’ve done it hundreds of times before but Americans don’t read. This is just another repeat of history.
Black people didn’t vote for Obama as much as they did his skin. It’s the same thing with OJ Simpson. Blacks supported him because it was a symbol of justice in a system of injustice to over-incarcerates blacks and disproportionately applies to death penalty to us as well. This has all been proven.
Blacks voted for Obama for three reasons: 1) To stick it to whites for hundreds of years of continuing racial abuse and marginalization in America, 2) Because they really thought Obama would be pro-black. He isn’t. He’s pro-Jewish only and his grandmother is half-Jewish which makes him Jewish regardless of skin color and 3) Because like most Americans they are woefully ignorant on the issues.
Blacks voted for Obama because of all the past and current injustices being inflicted on us by the white power structure now being run by Jews alone.
George Thompson: You clearly don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I’m African-American, and I’m incredibly informed on the issues. I voted for Obama because I agree with his stances on a lot of issues. I’m all for the stimulus, health care reform, and repeal of DADT. I also like his ideas about diplomacy as America relates to the the rest of the world. To say that I voted for him because he was black is just stupid. I didn’t vote for Alan Keyes when he ran, that’s for damned sure — and his skin is blacker than Obama’s. And to say that we thought Obama represented some sort of black “payback” is stupid, too. If we wanted payback, we would have tried to make Louis Farakhan president. Obama was the best candidate, and he won … so there. Please, in the future, don’t speak for black people. Thanks.
The author John Grooms is a very liberal person that only writes to liberal views. Don’t get upset as his articles are biased and quite frankly suck.