The Second Civil War: A Black Heritage Center Named After a Slaveowner? Is the Confederate Flag Racist?

There were no alerts between Oct. 14 and 19.  I was kind of hoping that meant all this was over and then I could drop this blog, but, alas, no.  The attacks continue.

OCTOBER 19, 2021

**  Plan to melt Confederate statue submitted by Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.  (Charlottesville, Virginia.  Absolutely not.  You know they would make something devoted to the Blacks.  And, why would they have the name of a horrible mean old slave owner in their name?)

**  Potential jurors in the Ahmaud Arbery case  asked:  Is U.S. Confederate flag racist?  

**  U.S. honored Civil War enemies by naming  army bases after them.  Why?

**  Statue of Robert E. Lee removed from Dallas park in 2017 now  on display at a Texas golf course.

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OCTOBER 20, 2021

**  New Orleans prosecutors refuse charges against trio linked to plot to use Confederate memorial as a toilet.  (Did you really ever think they'd be charged for that.  Not possible with our current judicial system.)

**  Davidson County to replace  statue in uptown Lexington with replica Declaration of Independence, Constitution.  (North Carolina)

--Old Secesh

University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson-- Part 2: 'Contextualize'

 While removing the George Rogers Clark statue and changing names of other Confederate/slave owner-named places, the university has to reach a decision as to what to do about its connection with its founder, Thomas Jefferson.

A big reason the university is what it is today is because of what Mr. Jefferson prescribed for its construction and aims back in the early 1800s.

The Univ. of Virginia Board of Visitors also voted to "contextualize" the statue of Thomas Jefferson-- primary author of the Declaration of Independence, third president of the United States and UVA's founder.  The statue is located on the north side of the university's rotunda.

In a press release, the school "acknowledged Jefferson's contributions to the University and the nation, but also pointed out that he owned slaves and used slave labor at UVA, in direct contradiction to the ideals of liberty and equality he professed."

I have seen this so-called context on other statues.  Sadly, what this means is a whole lot of opinions that are now in vogue, but down the line will not be.  I could accept something along these lines.  Besides his accomplishments, it should say: "Jefferson owned slaves which was legal in the country at that time and also he had slaves do a lot of the construction of this school.  His view of liberty and equality reflected the general views of most white people at the time and they did not believe in that for black people."

I Could Accept This as Context.  --Old Secesh

About Charlottesville's Holiday to Celebrate the Freeing of the Slaves This Month and Dumping Thomas Jefferson's Birthday

That great old Southern City of Charlottesville, Virginia, will not be commemorating Thomas Jefferson's birthday this year.  And, he sure had a lot to do with that city and college.

And, he wasn't their anathema Confederate guy.  But, he did, after all have the "s" word and that is all it takes there, evidently.  I kind of regard Jefferson as a key reason we became a country and succeeded.  You know, that document called the Declaration of Independence.  But, evidently that is not enough for them.  You know, "s" word.

They will be celebrating the emancipation of Blacks instead, because in March 1865, a Union force under George Armstrong Custer (yes,that Custer) came to town with the plan of destroying it, but they (and the college) quickly surrendered and essentially pleaded not to be destroyed.  They weren't.

And, the city council says this is when the Blacks were freed from their "s" word.

I've often heard that under the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves were freed in areas that were still in a state of rebellion and not under Union control, but didn't say much about slaves in border states or occupied areas.

I was reading about Charlottesville's role in the Confederacy and it was considerable and will be writing about it in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog in the future.

If Charlottesville wants to celebrate the freeing of the slaves, let them do it, but don't drop your connection to Jefferson.

Like I Have Said Before, There Is Something Mighty Wrong in Virginia.  --Old Secesh