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As a child, I was taught "Battle Hymn" but my grandmother refused to allow its singing; her father was a Confederate veteran. Unlike many today, she understood the song to imply that God was on the side of the Union.
Location: Paradise, California (just north of chico)
Posts: 15
I remember reading somewhere about Mr. Lincoln's fondness for Dixie.
He was returning from a tour of army camps in the Richmond area in early April of 1865 aboard a steamer heading back to Washington. An Army band began to serenade the President when he turned to a guest, a young French count: "Have you heard the Rebel song,'Dixie'?" The count shook his head.
"The tune is now Federal property," Lincoln said "and it's good to show the Rebels that with us in power, they will be free to hear it again. It has always been a favorite of mine, and since we've captured it, we have a perfect right to enjoy it."
mararoni is in the original song, it being slang for fashionable or foppish in the 18th century. The general sense is the ridiculousness of American soldiers. Yankee Doodle has several early versions, some very crude.
The fifes and drums of the British force approaching Concord on April 19, 1775 played "Yankee Doodle" as did the Minutemen gathering to oppose them.
No music on the long, ghastly retreat back, however.
As a child, I was taught both. I don't see why both can't be taught today. Now, the Bonnie Blue flag is something else - especially with the lyric, "fighting for our property..."
Hey, I saw the printer's plate in the Charleston Museum and it said those exact words.
We teach both in our (northern) school as I think it is important to have children learn both.
Oh, and somewhere in a school this year, some parent forced the school's music teacher to drop "Jump Down, Turn Around, Pick a Bale ** Cotton" because the song was ab*** slavery. Now I learned that song as a kid, and I don't think it necessarily has to be blacks or slaves picking that cotton. A lot ** free blacks and whites picked plenty ** cotton, I'll reckon.
I'm not as conservative as I gather some members ** this board are, but by golly, I think it is really ridiculous the lengths we go to in order to 'protect' someone from 'something'.
And our kids sang i"Jump Down" this spring at their concert as they do mostly American folk songs. Good grief, what's next, no more "I Dream ** Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" as it implies stalking??
__________________ "Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn them to your advantage." - R. E. Lee
A lot ** free blacks and whites picked plenty ** cotton, I'll reckon.
My mother-in-law was white and born to a very poor family. She told me ab*** chopping cotton and picking cotton. I never asked her what "chopping cotton" was. I assumed it was hoeing the weeds ***?? Besides her, I've heard many older whites in the S***h talk ab*** their days ** picking cotton.
Rose
__________________ "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names".--J.F.K.
The War Between the States established... This principle that the Federal Government is, through its courts, this final judge of its own powers.
-- Woodrow Wilson
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