The Confederacy

So, our Governor decided to change policy and declare April "Confederate History Month." I thought, since my first foray into this blog was about the politics of Virginia, that it made nice symmetry for my last to do so as well. I think this is also a chance to look at what people do and say in reaction to events such as these, and how the government decides them.

Since we did not have a chance to get to our cultural editing unit, I'm not really sure if this is appropriate, but as someone who grew up with a very Southern family, I'm excited that we are acknowledging this part of American, and Virginian history, and culture. The Proclamation by the Governor is not very long, but it is interesting reading.

I am particularly fond of this section, "WHEREAS, this defining chapter in Virginia’s history should not be forgotten, but instead should be studied, understood and remembered by all Virginians, both in the context of the time in which it took place, but also in the context of the time in which we live," as it seems related to the news items of the day, such as Virginia asserting State's Rights in the suit against the Federal Government over the new Health Care policies. Considering that the previous two administrations did not endorse Confederate History Month, I wonder if our Governor did this for his own beliefs, or as a strategic political move. It is a question with no real answer, but my reading of the words leads me to wonder.

Looking at the Washington Post, I was fairly certain I knew what reader reaction was going to look like, and I was not disappointed. Those who commented at all were overwhelmingly negative about the entire deal, with objections ranging from the fact that the Proclamation did not mention slavery, to just outright calling McDonnell a hillbilly.

"Just exactly which constituency is he playing to, however you look at history, there is no question that the Confederacy stood for treason because they took up arms against the government of The United States. Nice job Virginia, you've really picked a winner with this nut bag!

Posted by: wsblount | April 6, 2010 1:47 PM"

The above quote was the first comment on the Post's "Political Voices" page, and I was really upset by it. After all, the Declaration of Independence supported the idea of removing, seceding or changing government when it no longer works for the people. If the Confederacy felt this was the appropriate action, then it is odd to see it labeled "treason." But then again, we are preparing to remove Thomas Jefferson from the history books of our high school students, so who's to judge?

Perhaps I've strayed a little bit from the idea of cultural editing, but I mainly wanted to point out the oddity that is American culture. Do we really even feel we have one anymore? I'm hard pressed to believe that we can agree on nearly anything. Even more importantly, I understand the polarizing effect of the Civil War, and the impact it still has on the thinking of our nation, but to see people so brazenly want to disregard it, as with other portions of our history is a strange case to make.

Enjoy the reading. I found it very painful.