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."
it's NO more complicated than this. ====> saying something SILLY as you did in #500, reminds everyone (or at least those FReepers with a FUNCTIONING brain) that the DAMNyankee side is PITIFUL, when it comes to answers/philosophy/IQ/etc/etc/etc.
free dixie,sw
I’m unclear why English-speaking would be a sales advantage when all English-speaking Caribbean and Latin American islands and countries had banned slavery decades before the US did.
I believe only Dutch and Spanish countries, and few of those, still had slavery in the 1860s.
I post to whomever I please. The gentleman or lady you reference has not used foul language to me, so I see no particular reason why I should restrict my associations at your convenience.
chattel slavery in one form or another existed in MANY of those countries well into the 1880s & in some cases 2 decades or more beyond.
fwiw, you are WELCOME to post to the "filthy-mouthed LOUT" and/or to anyone else that you wish to post to.
i would just think that you wouldn't want such a person on FR,who posts that FILTH in the presence of ladies & children.
btw, have you noticed that MOST of the ladies that USED TO POST on these threads do NOT do so now??? can you guess WHY they do NOT???
the answer is: the constant FILTH, smeared upon this forum by then likes of "mr. potty-mouth".
may i also remind you that "mr. potty-mouth" is a member in good-standing of "the DAMNyankee coven of fools, nitwits, BIGOTS, "useful idiots", etc"??? = that is the REASON that the DYs will not criticize "one of their own" no matter what offenses to decency another DY may commit.
free dixie,sw
free dixie,sw
Trying to read you post is very disruptive when you jeer and jerk around with brackets and caps my eyes are trying to constantly to make adjustments!
Why not just learn a couple of HTML tips
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1555762/posts
free dixie,sw
it seems to me to be the same thing.
free dixie,sw
That is all your nonsense deserves.
1. i'm correct about the RIGHT to secession,
2,. you are smart enough to know that i'm correct,
3. you just cannot admit that i'm correct, as otherwise the "house of cards" of the "one nation, indivisible" collapses of it's own tiny weight &
4. as "The Minister of DAMNyankee PROPAGANDA", it is your JOB to DECEIVE the naive/intellectually lazy/stupid/terminally ignorant. DISHONESTY is ALL you DYs have to refute the OBVIOUS TRUTH that secession was/IS a RIGHT of FREE STATES. (if secession is NOT an option, then NONE of the states/citizens are free.)
free dixie,sw
You've never been right, on secession or anything else.
2,. you are smart enough to know that i'm correct,
I'm smart enough to know better than that.
3. you just cannot admit that i'm correct, as otherwise the "house of cards" of the "one nation, indivisible" collapses of it's own tiny weight
I cannot admit that you're correct because you never are.
the TRUTH is that you CANNOT admit the TRUTH, as the TRUTH is NOT on "your side".
the TRUTH is that lincoln & his "merry band of thieves, thugs & scoundrels" LIED to the brave "Billy Yanks", who marched off to war & bled/suffered/died defending a LIE. furthermore, the DAMNyankees are still telling the same old tired lie, a 140+ years later.
it's really no more complicated than this = there is NO "indivisible union" any more than there is an indivisible atom.
free dixie,sw
I haven’t seen filth or obscenity posted by the gentleman in question. Until I do, I see no particular reason to accept your characterization as accurate.
Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Davis and his fellow travelers Democrats for the most part?
I have yet to see you post a fact, Constitution-based or otherwise.
the TRUTH is that lincoln & his "merry band of thieves, thugs & scoundrels" LIED to the brave "Billy Yanks", who marched off to war & bled/suffered/died defending a LIE. furthermore, the DAMNyankees are still telling the same old tired lie, a 140+ years later.
The only tired thing here is the same standard sw BS.
Hey swattie,
After the mods asked us to back off (which I did) you continued to post slanderous statements about me. Why should anyone view you with anything but utter contempt when you can’t even abide by the common rules of this site?
In recent posts you have referred to me as “DAMNyankee coven of fools, nitwits, BIGOTS”, “useful idiots filthy-mouthed LOUT nitwits”, fools,LEFTISTS, antisemites, “useful idiots” & LOSERS of “the DAMNyankee ignorant, loudmouthed, uncouth LOUT. “the filthy-talking FOOL”, STUPID, “DAMNyankee coven of nitwits, REVISIONISTS, “useful idiots”, RACISTS, fascists,etc” “brain-LESS” among others. All this in just the last few days.
You have said about me, “...he cared NOTHING for propriety,the minimum decorum required of gentlemen in public and/or the maintenance of public decency” (curious words given the above spew from you), and this gem, “btw,”the gentleman” is NO gentleman, but rather a FOUL-mouthed, ignorant, LOUT, who (to quote my “duckie”) is MORALLY UNFIT to be a FReeper.”
My personal favorite however is this: “btw, reference the FILTHY-talking LOUT (who is one of your correspondants): if he was a burglar, would you think that his thievery was A-OK, if he didn’t target your house for a “ripoff”?” So, if we discovered that you were a baby buggerer, but you weren’t buggering my baby, would you mind if we still didn’t think your baby buggering imbroglio was cool?
So my question to you is, who are you to complain? It is evident that you have no reservation against climbing into the gutter, so what makes you feeeeeeeeeel that you are fit to judge? Since you have “shunned me” (whatever the hell that is!) why are you referring to me at all? Why don’t you mind your own damned business?!
You cast many aspersions against me - can you prove a single one of them? I mean besides the language thing...I had to lower my standards so that you could understand me. Can you provide a scintilla of proof that I am a racist? How about an anti-Semite? Or how about the “DAMNyankee” foolishness? I’ve never even lived in a northern state! I was born in Washington and raised in Alabama for cripes sake!
The plain, unvarnished truth is that you are a small-minded bigot. Your own words indict and convict you. Every further utterance from your lips only reinforces that fact. If it were up to me I would bounce you from this site, but since that is not within my discretion and since you are a lying intolerable sort of embarrassment, that leaves me nothing but mockery.
This latest episode demonstrates that the mods aren’t willing to rein you in or apply the “rules of the road” on an equal basis. Bully for you. It is clear that you want me gone - you’ve done lots of slimy underhanded stunts to try to effect that. You may one day succeed. It doesn’t matter. I will remain or I will go but you remain at FreeRepublic only to its detriment. As long as you post your Lost Cause nonsense FreeRepublic will carry the stain of nut-baggery.
To paraphrase the late, great Winston Churchill I may be a lout, swattie, but in the morning I can be nice and you will still be a bigot.
Have a nice day...
BTW swattie,
Its funny and appropriate that you say “there is NO “indivisible union” any more than there is an indivisible atom.” You are wrong again (of course). We’ve known for years now that you can split the atom. What you get is chaos. Same for splitting the country. If you are foolish and treacherous enough to try to split it all you get for your trouble is chaos.
Our forefathers didn’t put this great country together so that riff-raff could whimsically tear it apart. It is to his credit that Lincoln held it together, despite losers like you.
BTW: In case you’ve been in a coma (or more likely delusional) “Dixie” (notice the spelling?!) IS FREE (well, with the exception of bigots like you perhaps).
once more, it has been my experience that he is MORALLY UNFIT to BE a FReeper.
free dixie,sw
free dixie,sw
free dixie,sw
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