Posted on 03/28/2008 12:15:10 PM PDT by cowboyway
Over the last few months, celebrations for Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday have drawn attention to the Kentucky native's life and his legacy as president. But the 200-year anniversary of another Kentucky president's birth, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, is receiving mixed reviews.
"I'll say it this way - winners write history," said Ron Bryant, a Lexington historian writing a book on Davis. "We need heroes, we need villains. Lincoln became a hero and Davis a villain."
Davis was born in what is now Todd County, Ky., in 1808, one year before Lincoln. Davis served as the only president of the 11 southern states that seceded from the Union between 1861 and 1865. The Confederate States of America surrendered in 1865, and Davis was locked in prison the same year.
Despite being denounced by many civil rights groups, signs of Davis' legacy can still be found throughout the state.
In Southwest Kentucky, a structure resembling the Washington Monument stands in memory of Davis. At 351 feet tall, the Jefferson Davis Monument is the fourth largest freestanding obelisk in the world, according to Kentucky State Parks.
Although Kentucky never seceded from the Union, a statue of Davis stands in the rotunda in the state's Capitol building.
"The Civil War is still very much alive in many places," said Cliff Howard, a Jefferson Davis impersonator. "Kentucky was on both sides of the fence. It still is."
Having heard of Kentucky's reputation for "being a little backward," integrated strategic communications senior James Davidson Jr. was not surprised about Davis' statue in the Capitol building.
Davidson, first-vice president of UK's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said a statue of Davis leaves a bad impression.
"What is Frankfort saying to the rest of Kentucky with it being there?" Davidson said. "I respect everyone's heritage and Southern tradition, but given the history, I think it shouldn't be there."
The statue of Davis, installed in 1936, is one of five statues in the Capitol building. Lincoln is the largest in the center, and Davis stands in the corner behind his right shoulder. Former Kentucky Congressman Henry Clay, physician and drafter of the state constitution Ephraim McDowell and former Vice President Alben Barkley also stand in the rotunda.
The last time Davis' statue came into debate was 2003, when a coalition of African-American groups protested its presence in the Capitol building. A state advisory committee left the issue up to former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who took no action during his term.
Gov. Steve Beshear does not plan to remove the statue because Davis is a historical figure who represents part of Kentucky's cultural history, a spokeswoman said.
Student Government President Nick Phelps said his feelings on the statue in the Capitol building resembled how he felt during a controversy two years ago about a 46-foot mural in Memorial Hall depicting the history of Lexington and its surrounding area. The mural, which some said stereotyped American Indians and blacks, was not removed.
"I was not in support of removing the mural, so I would not support removing Jefferson Davis," Phelps said. "I don't think we should remove history. I think it removes the question, 'Who is he?' "
Many students might ask the same question about Davis.
In Kentucky, the Civil War is part of the middle school curriculum. Unless students take an advanced placement history course in high school, that's usually the last time they focus on 19th century American history, said Nayasha Owens-Morton, a U.S. history and African-American history teacher at Bryan Station Traditional High School.
William Campbell has taught a class on Lincoln at UK for about 10 years as an English and honors professor. Students going into his class know little about the confederate president, he said.
"About Jefferson Davis, Kentuckians tend to know that he was from our state, that there's a memorial dedicated to him somewhere in the state, and that he was the president of the Confederacy," Campbell said. "Of Lincoln's writings, most have read only the Gettysburg Address. Of Davis's writings, most have read nothing."
Sitting behind a keyboard posting messages to a conservative forum is a pretty feeble form of rebellion. You're supposed to be out there watering the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots and tyrants if you think this is intolerable oppression.
free dixie,sw
my post was to point out the HYPOCRISY of the DAMNyankee ELITES who railed against slavery WHILE practicing "the peculiar institution" themselves!!!
fwiw, DAMNyankees have ALWAYS been "really skilled" at pointing out splinters in southerner's eyes, while ignoring the LOAD of logs in their own = for example, Boston, MA has NEVER desegregated their schools & this instant has more "racially segregated schools" than AL, GA, LA & MS COMBINED.
laughing AT the DY apologists/you.
free dixie,sw
the TRUTH is that the members of "the DAMNyankee coven" on FR are defending the OPPRESSORS (& frankly the same sort of elitists/LEFTISTS/REVISIONISTS that wouldn't spit on them if they were on fire).
as for the balance of your post: you have a FEW minor points in your favor, but overall your thesis sinks of its own small weight.
free dixie,sw
i KNOW that it's hard for you, but try finding PROOF instead of "hearsay" for your NONSENSE/bilge/PROPAGANDA.
free dixie,sw
free dixie,sw
the FACTS are that many DY elitists planned to KEEP their slaves & free southern slaves after the WBTS.
while i have no portfolio & little or no regard for the southern slavers (our family were poor AIs/subsistence farmers, who couldn't have afforded a slave had my ancestors wanted to buy one), i DESPISE hypocrites/LIARS/self-righteous DYs above any other species of CREEP.
free dixie,sw
well, guess what, it's back. and one day dixie will be "free at last. free at last. thank GOD ALMIGHTY, free at last."
had REL decided to "go to the mountains" & fight a partisan war against the DY invaders, it might have taken us 20-30 years, but eventually the south would have been free.
fwiw, we southrons are patient. it may take us 350 years to get our freedom, but as the Irish have,i believe we one day will.
free dixie,sw
...followed by another bizzare barrage of bullshnit from swattie!
that he is still posting to me says volumes about the clueLESSness of the members of the DAMNyankee coven of "useful idiots", REVISIONISTS, cretins, BIGOTS, nitwits, ANTISEMITES,fools, etc" that infest the FR forum.
P>free dixie,sw
the TRUTH is that the southern military forces DESEGREGATED early in the WBTS (at least down to brigade/regimental level), while the northern forces remained SEGREGATED throughout the war & frankly well into WWII. (Dr Blackerby says in his book: BLACKS IN BLUE & GRAY that between 100,000- 150,000 Black men -and not a few Black women, btw- served as armed volunteers in the CSA forces.)
btw,2 questions for you:
1. WHEN was the FIRST Black CS Marine sworn in???
2. WHEN was the FIRST Black US Marine sworn in???
free dixie,sw
After reading 391 postings on this thread I now understand why Irag is still fighting and trying to become a democracy!! They will probably be doing so for another 100 years.
So, you acknowledge that if the slaves had rebelled, it would have been legally imperative to crush their rebellion and return the ones left alive to servitude.
(You obviously believe that the American Revolution was an illegal act.)
Pointing out that there were pro-slavers in the North is meaningless.
Forrest's own words are hearsay?
Yes.
(You obviously believe that the American Revolution was an illegal act.)
From the British standpoint it was. Are you denying that the Texas rebellion wasn't illegal from the Mexican standpoint?
otoh, the USA/CSA was not/IS NOT a 'democracy"
free dixie,sw
otoh, the USA/CSA was not/IS NOT a "democracy". rather both the USA/CSA were Constitutional Republics.
free dixie,sw
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