I watched the election returns with the expectation that American voters had surely been listening & had turned out in great numbers to cast aside vicious attacks against woman's rights, decent behavior & mutual respect for people of every persuasion. I struggled to make sense of what I was watching. Since then, I have vacillated between seeking a new - & foreign residence - to multiplying my efforts to turn the tide against ignorance of the truth. Thank you, Kevin, for adding a supportive & thoughtful voice to our 'new' lives. Thank you for giving me one more reason to renew my resolve to be part of America's solution.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I can't do much to assuage your fears and concerns. All I can do is shed some light in my tiny corner of the Internet. I hope you find some peace moving forward.
Thank you for writing this. We cannot push Trump and MAGA back as an aberration in our history. While he and his cult share many of the worst racist traits of the antebellum South, the Confederacy, and the people across the nation who participated in the rollback of the rights Blacks gained in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1875, they combine that with much more. Thus, we cannot, despite his praise of Confederates, of White Supremacists, and MAGA’s use of Confederate symbols and flags, can we call him a Confederate President. He is an authoritarian who openly campaigned as a Fascist, and had a majority of the popular vote. The fact that he pretty much ran the table in States that were decidedly Union states points to a bigger problem than the Confederacy.
Again, thank you this article and keep up the fight. As I wrote last night, there is much we need to do.
Peace,
Steve Dundas
PS. Were you ever able to get or read my book, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond”?
This is especially informative to me as an immigrant to the USA. American history is a mammoth study. Thank you for breaking it down for us. Love the dog!
Thank you, Kevin. My belief is that whites wouldn’t vote for a Black person, regardless of gender. And Black men wouldn’t vote for a woman, regardless of party. At age seventy-one I’m terrified RFK, Jr. will get hold of my Social Security and Medicare.
If the question you are asking at the end of this piece indicates you are thinking about stopping please do not. I for one think there is value in your writing and observations. The historical profession, especially public historians, needs to recognize , as I think you keep saying, that there is value to the study of Confederate history. These people were a part of our national past and we need to understand them as we need to understand the other who came before us. Also, your thoughts and writings give me a touchstone against which to lay my own thoughts and some writing on most of the same subjects. I think you are a skilled historian and I for one would miss you if you stopped doing this.
"As an explanation, it pushes Trump’s historical origins into a corner, where we can wipe our hands from any responsibility."
Exactly. The Confederate experience was not some outlier or exceptional situation in American history, it was just one expression of a recurring tendency toward illiberalism in our long past. (Making the CW an ever-relevant topic.) I use that word illiberal because I'm currently reading Steven Hahn's Illiberal America and I'm only on Ch. 2, I'm finding it to be very useful in that regard.
Though I'm sure Trump would happily take a six year term in office if offered.
But to do this would require an act of congress. Not impossible but I am not sure how likely it is even if the Rs end up controlling both houses. Removing the Confederate names was more popular among military types than most would think.
I watched the election returns with the expectation that American voters had surely been listening & had turned out in great numbers to cast aside vicious attacks against woman's rights, decent behavior & mutual respect for people of every persuasion. I struggled to make sense of what I was watching. Since then, I have vacillated between seeking a new - & foreign residence - to multiplying my efforts to turn the tide against ignorance of the truth. Thank you, Kevin, for adding a supportive & thoughtful voice to our 'new' lives. Thank you for giving me one more reason to renew my resolve to be part of America's solution.
Hi Julianne,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I can't do much to assuage your fears and concerns. All I can do is shed some light in my tiny corner of the Internet. I hope you find some peace moving forward.
Good one, Kevin. Thanks for keeping us grounded.
Kevin,
Thank you for writing this. We cannot push Trump and MAGA back as an aberration in our history. While he and his cult share many of the worst racist traits of the antebellum South, the Confederacy, and the people across the nation who participated in the rollback of the rights Blacks gained in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1875, they combine that with much more. Thus, we cannot, despite his praise of Confederates, of White Supremacists, and MAGA’s use of Confederate symbols and flags, can we call him a Confederate President. He is an authoritarian who openly campaigned as a Fascist, and had a majority of the popular vote. The fact that he pretty much ran the table in States that were decidedly Union states points to a bigger problem than the Confederacy.
Again, thank you this article and keep up the fight. As I wrote last night, there is much we need to do.
Peace,
Steve Dundas
PS. Were you ever able to get or read my book, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond”?
"The fact that he pretty much ran the table in States that were decidedly Union states points to a bigger problem than the Confederacy."
Well said. Thanks for the comment.
This is especially informative to me as an immigrant to the USA. American history is a mammoth study. Thank you for breaking it down for us. Love the dog!
Glad to hear it, Cecilia. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you, Kevin. My belief is that whites wouldn’t vote for a Black person, regardless of gender. And Black men wouldn’t vote for a woman, regardless of party. At age seventy-one I’m terrified RFK, Jr. will get hold of my Social Security and Medicare.
If the question you are asking at the end of this piece indicates you are thinking about stopping please do not. I for one think there is value in your writing and observations. The historical profession, especially public historians, needs to recognize , as I think you keep saying, that there is value to the study of Confederate history. These people were a part of our national past and we need to understand them as we need to understand the other who came before us. Also, your thoughts and writings give me a touchstone against which to lay my own thoughts and some writing on most of the same subjects. I think you are a skilled historian and I for one would miss you if you stopped doing this.
Hear, hear!! 👏👏👏
I am so sorry you got that impression. There is no way I am going to stop writing. Thanks for the words of encouragement.
Thanks as always for your work!
You are very welcome. As always, thanks for reading.
Bring the War Home is horrifying. I’ll have to check out these others slowly in consideration of my mental health.
All worth reading.
"As an explanation, it pushes Trump’s historical origins into a corner, where we can wipe our hands from any responsibility."
Exactly. The Confederate experience was not some outlier or exceptional situation in American history, it was just one expression of a recurring tendency toward illiberalism in our long past. (Making the CW an ever-relevant topic.) I use that word illiberal because I'm currently reading Steven Hahn's Illiberal America and I'm only on Ch. 2, I'm finding it to be very useful in that regard.
Though I'm sure Trump would happily take a six year term in office if offered.
I just received an email from someone who also referenced Hahn's book. I need to add it to the list. Still making my way through it. Thanks, Chris.
We can count on those military bases going back to their old names.
Damn. I knew I forgot to mention something. You may be right.
But to do this would require an act of congress. Not impossible but I am not sure how likely it is even if the Rs end up controlling both houses. Removing the Confederate names was more popular among military types than most would think.
Good point, Michael. We are just going to have to wait and see.