Offered without comment (except perhaps an eyeroll.)
By Dahleen Glanton | Tribune Correspondent
1:37 AM CDT, March 22, 2009
ATLANTA — In a cultural war that has pitted Old South against new, defenders of the Confederate legacy have opened a fresh front in their campaign to polish an image tarnished, they said, by people who do not respect Southern values. With the 150th anniversary of the War Between the States in 2011, efforts are under way in statehouses, small towns and counties across the South to push for proclamations or legislation promoting Confederate history.
Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana and Florida traditionally observe Confederate History Month in April. Georgia, which has recognized it by proclamation since 1995, recently passed a bill in the state Senate making it official. Most Southern states recognize Confederate Memorial Day as a legal holiday. Some celebrate it on the June birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, but Texas and Arkansas observe it on Jan. 19, the federal holiday for slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Well, of course. When else would be appropriate to observe it?
...The negative image has long angered some white Southerners, particularly those whose ancestors died in the Civil War. In their view, the war is a source of Southern pride. In recent years, they have sought to redefine the Confederacy in multicultural terms, pointing out that Jews, Hispanics and blacks fought for the South. They argue that the war had little if anything to do with slavery, and they have become vocal in their opposition to white supremacist groups that use the Confederate flag as a symbol of hate.
"Slavery is a part of American history, not just Confederate history," said McMichael. "The Confederacy has gotten a bad rap because we ended up on the losing side and therefore the wrong side of history." [...]
Right. Somehow, I thought that included in the Confederacy's states rights issues was the desire to decide their "peculiar institution" for themselves, and the desire to have it spread into other territories so that it wouldn't die out. Apparently not. Who knew?
Posted by iain at March 22, 2009 07:47 PM
