There has been some discussion on this board as to whether it should be appropriate to erect a statue of Abraham Lincoln in the former Confederate capital of Richmond.
Evidently it's going to happen. Here's a link to an article noting that a statue commemorating Lincoln is to be unveiled this Saturday, April 5, and reporting that the subject is still capable of stirring up plenty of passionate feeling.
George, I don't understand why it shouldn't happen. Did Lincoln go to Richmond with Tad when the city was taken? Is this not a historical fact?
Seems to me there are a lot of statues to famous Confederates in a Northern state at a place called Gettysburg. I had the honor to help dedicate the statue of James Longstreet with a Confederate reenactment unit when it was unveiled for the first time.
It just seems like those who protest the most are still not willing to reconcile to historical fact or are just thinking (again) that this 140 year period since the end of the war is just a long pause until round two.
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
There are many, historical facts,that having a statue, to honor them would be out of place. Certainly, we don't need a statue of a white southern soldier, shooting a black union soldier,that has his hands raised in the air, at Fort Pillow. Many other examples, from the war, could be chosen. In my area, Lincoln isn't a popular person still, and that includes many, who could care less about the civil war. Even our local car dealer, has trouble selling Lincoln's.
I'am not saying the statue of Lincoln in Richmond is out of place, it's a historical fact. I would be interested in knowing if the people, that are living in Richmond, are really for it, or if its just something, being pushed off on them. One thing for sure, the mayor could be in for a surprise, when election day comes around.
There are things that change, no matter how much we wish they would not.
Why would you want St. Andrews Crosses back on all the Southern State Buildings? What point are you trying to prove? Do the majority of people in the South (Not SCV, not Southern Heritage outfits, etc.) want those symbols back? Is it a huge matter of concern for them? Or is it the minority that should have the say on this issue?
The very attitude of hostility towards a Lincoln statue going up in Richmond is reflected like a mirror by African American groups in some states where they try to deface or tear down statues of famous Confederate heroes and just as wrong.
I am reminded of a group that had a statue of Bedford Forrest put up, legal and correct with no fuss from the city council at that time. Then groups tried to get the statue removed and could not then resorted to unlawful tactics to remove it by force.
Is this group any more in the right?
Gunsmoke, I agree with you that the majority of the citizens of Richmond should decide if they want the statue. I am of the opinion that most politicans are a fairly good judge of the mood of their electorate and would not take a needless chance to lose office over a miscalculation. So why not see what happens after the statue goes up? Or maybe the reason it's going up is that most people don't mind?
Unionblue
(Message edited by Unionblue on April 03, 2003)
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
Unionblue,
My point is that the St. Andrews Cross is as much a part of the Civil War as Lincoln was.I have no hostility towards Abe Lincoln,although I believe the way he is portrayed in mainstream history books barely tells the whole story.To me, putting up a statue of Lincoln is the same thing as asking a northern city to put up a monument of Jeff Davis. I don't know if people who want the St. Andrews Cross to fly from state buildings are a minority or not. Your comment on "Southern Heritage outfits, etc" leads me to believe you look at them as a negative thing. I am a Northerner and believe the politically correct{so called} who MISTAKENLY believe that the flag is a symbol of anti black sentiments read too much of what the press has fed the public. And, no, I do not believe any group should resort to unlawful tactics.
I agree with you that the ST. Andrews Cross/Battle Flag is a part of the Civil War and should be considered a part of this country's history. However, on that point, I think that flag should be displayed at appropriate sites and events, that the people of a community or state have decided. Unfortunately, the flag has been identified as a anti-black symbol, BUT if all groups and races would do a little research, the present US flag has ALSO been used far more frequently as an anti-black symbol also. I don't see anyone demanding it being banned at events or removed from public buildings.
I also agree that if Jeff Davis had made it to Washington as President of the Confederacy, he should have his shot at being cast in stone, if it would reflect a historical truth or fact. That being the case, I have no problem with all those Confederate statues at Gettysburg nor at the signs and monuments at Buffington Island in Ohio. Those men were there and made their presence felt.
As for my comment on Southern Heritage organizations, I am afraid that I have found most of those sites to be a negative thing to me personally. Most seem to espouse a kind of "round two" or a back-handed effort to try and secede from the country all over again, and demean their efforts to preserve Southern history, customs and such.
As for PC press, there is nothing more I despise, as this group too twists history to their own ends and agenda and distorts the facts that we should all learn from. In my opinion, PC crowds are just another form of a group using unlawful tactics to tear down our true history.
Some of the facts of history we may not like personally, but they are facts never the less. We must accept them and learn from them so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Thank you for your time and your response Marc. I appreciate your honesty and respect your stand.
Sincerely,
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
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