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."
do you SUPPORT (a YES/NO answer is requested.) the vulgar/crude/obscene language that he used, since he is a "member in good-standing" of "the DAMNyankee coven of lunatics, BIGOTS, nitwits,LEFTISTS, lincoln- worshipers,antisemites, FOOLS, etc."???
inquiring minds want to know.
free dixie,sw
We all? Or just you?
as you are the foremost "worshiper of the 9 crows" of the USSC, i would have thought that you would have jumped at the chance to tell us why SEPARATE BUT EQUAL & ABORTION ON DEMAND were such "wunnerful, wunnerful" & WISE decisions of the court.
Your contempt for, and ignorance of, the Constitution, the judiciary, and rule of law is duly noted.
fwiw, the denizens of these threads are a LOT smarter than you (and the members of "the DY coven") think they are;nobody is fooled by your evasions/BILGE/half-truths/deceit.
it's really no more complicated than this: you WORSHIP the members of the court; i, otoh, TRUST the people to make decisions on their own, as the "9 crows" are no more/no less fallible than the average citizen.
further, the USSC should "butt out of" MOST of the "important issues" that the ACLU & other LEFTIST groups support & leave those decisions to the states. imVho, it was a TRAGIC mistake for the POTUS/Congress to allow Marbury v. Madison to "stand", as the authors of the Constitution never intended the USSC to be the SUPREME branch of the government (the 3 branches were supposed to be CO-EQUAL.).
free dixie,sw
Why would I want to defend them?
free dixie,sw
Take a breath swattie - you’re drooling all over yourself again...
you must as "a WORSHIPER of the federal courts" either believe that the USSC is INFALLIBLE or HIGHLY fallible on a host of issues. "court worshipers" don't get to pick & choose the decisions that they LIKE & fail to support those that they DON'T like, unless that they/you don't mind LOOKING silly.
thus either must you SUPPORT or CONDEMN the UN-popular decisions to be morally/intellectually/philosophically consistent.
free dixie,sw
you must, as "a WORSHIPER of the federal courts", either believe that the USSC is INFALLIBLE or HIGHLY fallible on a host of issues. ("court worshipers" don't get to pick & choose the decisions that they LIKE & fail to support those that they DON'T like, unless that they/you don't mind LOOKING silly.)
thus either must you SUPPORT or CONDEMN the UN-popular decisions to be morally/intellectually/philosophically consistent. if Roe v. Wade/Plessy v. Ferguson/Dredd Scott is FOOLISH, WRONGLY decided & UNCONSTITUTIONAL, then ALL other decisions MAY be equally WRONG & FOOLISH as well.
free dixie,sw
laughing AT the DUMB-bunnies, bigots & FOOLS of "the DY coven".
to ALL: the more i learn about vulgar/sanctimonious/SELF-important DAMNyankee IDIOTS, the better i like poisonous snakes,rats, slugs & spiders.
free dixie,sw
I’m not surprised that you are anti-USSC. Is there anything about America that you find acceptable? Have you always been this bitter or are you just becoming a curmudgeon in your old age?
So you don’t like America, but you like “poisonous snakes,rats, slugs & spiders.”
Figures...
Yes. You have consistently demonstrated little respect and even less understanding of the Constitution, the function of the Supreme Court, and the rule of law.
I'M A LOST CAUSE FREEPER
or, The Ballad of Stand Watie
Oh, I’m a Lost Cause Freeper, now that’s just what I am.
For standard capitalization, I do not give a damn.
No tale’s too big to make up, no sources I will quote
And I don’t need no spell-check for anything I wrote.
I hates the stars and stripes flag, I loves the stars and bars
I stuck a big Third National on the bumper of my car
I got a Cherokee flag that I had special made
Most people when they meet me, think I’m touched in the haid.
I hates all things from up north. I really, really do
If Santa’s from the pole there, well then I hates him too.
I’ve been a Lost Cause Freeper for seven years or more.
I only talks ‘bout pancakes, and the late Civil War.
The Yanks killed all my kinfolk, ev’ry single one.
And there’s a captured U-boat on display in Galveston.
Quantrill spelled his name wrong, ev’ry single time
And ev’ry Union soldier shoulda been hung for a crime.
That I’m a protected poster many here can vouch
When Jim Rob comes to DC, he sleeps here on my couch
I can’t express myself in words like normal people do
My fingers hurt from pounding keys, I might have a loose screw.
Three hundred thousand posts here, they all read just the same
And if my facts are incorrect, I will not take the blame
I got it from a book I read, one you cannot find
And don’t you dare suggest it’s just a figment of my mind
I’m stuck in these United States, beneath the flag I hate
I sign my posts “free dixie” but am resigned to my fate
I’ll keep on fightin’ my war, on every single thread
I won’t stop actin’ crazy until I am dead
I am not going to wade thru 1100 posts to find something you claim indicates another freeper’s obscenities.
If you wish to freepmail me a link, I’ll take a look.
Wrongo, although a very common mistake.
Congress has absolute power over the other two branches of government any time it chooses to use it. Any executive decision can be defunded, and any federal official including the president can be removed from office by Congress.
The Congress also has authority to limit the jurisdiction of the federal courts and to impeach and remove judges from office.
Meanwhile the President and Supreme Court have no real way to strike back at Congress.
That these powers have been allowed to fall into disuse does not mean that they weren't originally designed that way.
The myth of the "co-equal" branches of government has been very destructive as it has allowed Congress to brush off its responsibility for anti-democratic changes made by judicial activism by claiming that it was out of their hands.
Did you write that? I applaud you, sir. Very witty.
do you REALLY think ANYONE on FR, outside the motley collection of DUMB-bunnies of "the DAMNyankee coven of lunatics,BIGOTS,south-HATERS, "useful idiots", fascists, LEFTISTS & FOOLS" believes ANYTHING you post????
to the DYs: sticking your fingers in your ears & pitifully whining that "i don't wanna believe that" does NOT constitute either THOGHT and/or a cogent argument. intelligent rebuttals require BRAINS/thought.
to all: believe ANYTHING that ANY of the "DY coven" members post at your PERIL.(what you really should do is laugh AT them, as most of the "good 'ole rebs" of FR do.)
free dixie,sw
sorry, but i don't believe you don't want to "wade thru"; you don't appear to be either that lazy or that clue-LESS.
free dixie,sw
perhaps the "experts" have "changed their minds" but my grad school profs at Auburn & at Tulane said the 3 branches were INTENDED to be "coequal". when both congress & the executive branch "sat still for" Marbury v. Madison, the "collegiality of the three branches" was FINISHED!!
free dixie,sw
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