Looking for input on UDC

[nc11thwwmccall]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the website here and am enjoying reading all the different topics being discussed. One of the posts in the general discussion forum piqued my interest and it raised some questions. The post expressed concerns about some "fringe" elements of groups of re-enactors and the SCV which seem very racist and bigoted and the poster questioned the sincerity of these groups in not dealing with them. I am very interested in the historical aspects of the Civil War and have a few ancestors who fought for the Confederacy. I am in the process of gathering the data to possibly join the United Daughters of the Confederacy simply for the historical interest. My ancestors who fought owned very little of anything, much less slaves and I am not interested in the "South rising again," thank you very much. But the other post is making me question joining the UDC. So far, I haven't read anything inflammatory in any of their literature, etc. that would make me not want to join. My hunch is that they are not very controversial because I haven't really heard anything about them until recently and have lived in the south all my life. There is even a chapter in the city where I currently live and I had no idea. Could anyone enlighten me on my questions?

 

[donna]

Welcome to the forum. I have just joined the UDC. The Chapter I belong to are a wonderful group. We meet once a month for Meeting and Lunch. There is always a program. There is nothing radical about this group. Everyone seems interested in history of Civil War and their Ancestors who served. I would recommend you look into joining.

 

[Robtweb1]

I have never heard anything negative about the UDC. They were founded originally to identify and care for the graves of the fallen Confederate veterans, which is more or less what the SCV is supposed to be doing. There was the thing in 1993 when a US senator from Illinois managed to prevent the UDC from being allowed to renew the copyright on their logo, but there was nothing bad that could be said about their membership or activities.

 

[Lazy Bayou]

I know several ladies that are active members in the UDC and I have never heard them say anything about "fringe" elements nor do they have any racist attitudes. I think you will be well advised to join the UDC.

 

[nc11thwwmccall]

Thanks so much for the positive responses. These descriptions of the UDC match the impression I have had about them so far. So now I am off on a "document" finding mission here in my hometown area while I'm visiting! I hope to find the grave of my Confederate ancestor today - I visited the church cemetary just recently but didn't know his grave was there.

 

[prroh]

The UDC was very much an "in your face" activist organization along the Lost Cause vein from the 1930s to the 60s. As a national organization they have now a much lower profile. Demanding that "War between the States" should replace 'the Civil War"; censoring textbooks that portray the south in a light that they don't consider favorable, a memorial to a free black who was murdered by Brown's men at Harper's Ferry as a hero of the South, were some of this organization's legacy. How much of this stuff lingers at the Chapter lever is something that might be worth checking out. They are an agenda driven organization and might be more or less strident at different local levels.

 

[Nathanb1]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the website here and am enjoying reading all the different topics being discussed. One of the posts in the general discussion forum piqued my interest and it raised some questions. The post expressed concerns about some "fringe" elements of groups of re-enactors and the SCV which seem very racist and bigoted and the poster questioned the sincerity of these groups in not dealing with them. I am very interested in the historical aspects of the Civil War and have a few ancestors who fought for the Confederacy. I am in the process of gathering the data to possibly join the United Daughters of the Confederacy simply for the historical interest. My ancestors who fought owned very little of anything, much less slaves and I am not interested in the "South rising again," thank you very much. But the other post is making me question joining the UDC. So far, I haven't read anything inflammatory in any of their literature, etc. that would make me not want to join. My hunch is that they are not very controversial because I haven't really heard anything about them until recently and have lived in the south all my life. There is even a chapter in the city where I currently live and I had no idea. Could anyone enlighten me on my questions?

The UDC ladies I've worked with in the past (in a professional capacity, mind you) were absolutely NOT racists or radical in any way--unless you count making chapter scrapbooks and trying to be sure veterans' graves were marked.....their main interest was in discussing history and their ancestors. I guess if you're going to show up and be irritated by their interest in that topic, it wouldn't be wise to join. Does that make sense?

I would contact them, visit with them and make your own determination. If you're eligible and want to join, congratulations. I'm pretty sure they're no worse than the DAR or DRT (Daughters of the Republic of Texas). I'm not a joiner, or I would probably have done so by now.

I certainly wouldn't let something I read on an internet forum determine what I do in my own life.

 

[nc11thwwmccall]

Well, I replied to the latest post and then accidentally "reported" my post when I just meant to edit it. Hopefully the moderators will figure out my mistake. What I wanted to say was that discussing history and my ancestor's part in it would be my main motivation for participating in the group. Also, while I agree that I wouldn't let a comment on an internet forum determine what I do, I do appreciate the response I've gotten to my initial question. By the way, I located the grave of my great-great-great grandfather, a Confederate soldier, yesterday afternoon. It was quite a moment for me.

 

[Joey12thga]

I have dealt with the SCV and UDC. Each organization has it's good chapters and it's bad chapters.

I dealt with one UDC group who wanted me to do a Historical Interp program for them. Very straightforward talk about the men and material culture of the war. What items were used, how they were used, what life was like in the field ...etc. They were very receptive and interested and asked many good questions. They were very well read and had a nice library of CS soldier journals and general ACW history that they encouraged members to use I actually was able to dispel some of their current mind set about the "ragged rebel". Now that group was made up of women in their 30's-50's who were for the most part newer members in a new group. They did a lot of work for the local monuments, graves, and battlefield preservation.

Enter group Number 2. They asked me to do the same thing since they had heard about the program for the previous group. The whole program was mostly the women (along with SCV husbands) attempting to correct me. When they got hit with fact then they would just prattle on to the people around them. Very rude and very militant in their view of the South and it's role in the war. After the program they tried to start arguments about various subjects related to the war, modern politics and reenacting. This group did nothing about preservation but focused all efforts on "flagging" and politics. They actually had several relics that are deteriorating because they will not allow anyone but UDC members see them. Their "library" was the SCV handbooks. Women were in their 50's-80's. Some women were very uninterested and were only there because the UDC badge was just another thing to add to all their other social clubs.

Group 2 actually got group 1 shut down because they didn't like the competition.

 

[johan_steele]

I think Joey has it pretty much spot on, the UDC like the SCV has to be viewed in a camp to camp perspective. There are fruits & nuts in every organization. My own experiance closely mirrors that of Joey. I have direct experiance w/ two seperate UDC camps in SC... one would make a Klan rally look tame and were allowing the artifacts in their charge to disintigrate. The other was making very real efforts to preserve and protect the various graves in their area.

 

[nc11thwwmccall]

Again, I appreciate all the feedback. This information is the kind I was looking for. My impression of the local chapter in my area is that they are among the "positive" ones described. I guess I'll just see if my impression is correct as I move forward.

 

[Nathanb1]

Well, I replied to the latest post and then accidentally "reported" my post when I just meant to edit it. Hopefully the moderators will figure out my mistake. What I wanted to say was that discussing history and my ancestor's part in it would be my main motivation for participating in the group. Also, while I agree that I wouldn't let a comment on an internet forum determine what I do, I do appreciate the response I've gotten to my initial question. By the way, I located the grave of my great-great-great grandfather, a Confederate soldier, yesterday afternoon. It was quite a moment for me.

Congratulations! It's quite a moment, indeed. You've obviously put a lot of time and effort into your quest and it's beginning to pay off handsomely.