Restricted New Lost Cause?

archieclement

Colonel
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
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mo
As I understand it the original "Confederate Lost Cause" was presenting only the facts or history they wished to protray, to present the history as they wished it to be...

Isn't basically the same happening today with a new black lost cause? I'll use round rough numbers for simplicity sake, but in 1860 there was around 500,000 free blacks in the US, and around 4,000,000 slaves. The best generally accepted numbers I seem to find is during the war about another 500,000 slaves ran away and became contrabands.

So it seems odd when one says they are or wish to present the black experience during the war, whether in media, entertainment or in museums, they generally seem to protray USCT and runaway contrabands......when it would seem around 80% of the blacks experience was the same as it was prewar, working on the plantation. Or perhaps once war breaks out, working directly or indirectly for the Confederacy as teamsters, cooks, laborers, or in manufacturing.

It would seem they are presenting a picture they wish was commonplace, when it actually does not reflect the historical majority or reality at all.

The thread shouldn't become political, but an examination of the actual numbers during the war as to what was actually the typical experience historically. The museums I have experienced generally do not to seem to stress the experience of the majority of black Americans during the war.

But from the figures I can find, of roughly 4,500,000 free blacks and slaves at the start of the war, well over 3,000,000, would seem close to 3,500,00 remained slaves up to the close of the war. Yet that 75-80% seems rather under-represented in presentations.
 
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