Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a controversial proclamation earlier this month declaring April ÒConfederate History Month,Ó which immediately sparked justified outrage.The proclamation called on Virginians to Òunderstand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War.Ó It did not, however, acknowledge slavery or the people who were enslaved.
McDonnell, a Republican, initially seemed surprised at the controversy, passing off the proclamation as an attempt to bring tourists to Virginia for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. He told The Washington Post last week that he did not include slavery as a reason for the war because Òthere were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia.Ó
His critics were understandably stunned that slavery wasnÕt one of the most significant issues for Virginia — it was the key to the Civil War. Political observers told The Post that McDonnell was trying to strengthen his support in the conservative base of VirginiaÕs Republican Party, many of whom describe the causes of the Civil War as statesÕ rights and federal control.
Former Gov. Douglas Wilder, a black Democrat who has been supportive of McDonnell, called it Òmind-bogglingÓ that the proclamation did not include slavery.
ÒConfederate history is full of many things that unfortunately are not put forth in a proclamation of this kind nor are they things that anyone wants to celebrate,Ó he said. ÒItÕs one thing to sound a cause of rallying a base. But itÕs quite another to distort history.Ó
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James McPherson, one of the nationÕs leading experts on the Civil War, told The Post that Òslavery was at the core of the events that provokedÓ secession. He noted that in the South Òthere was a pretty direct correlation between the percentage of slaves and slaveholders in a given district and its support for secession.Ó
McDonnell apologized Wednesday evening for failing to include slavery in the original proclamation and amended it to include a paragraph calling slavery ÒevilÓ and a Òpainful partÓ of the stateÕs past.
Unfortunately, McDonnellÕs actions may give cover to others who want to deny the ugly history of the Confederacy and say that the Civil War was really an effort to protect statesÕ rights. McDonnellÕs proclamation, even in its amended form, calls the conflict Òthe war between the states for independence.Ó
That might strike a chord in todayÕs political environment, which is infused with talk about statesÕ rights, but it is wrong, and as a tool to score political points, it is reprehensible.
McDonnell should get a history lesson. He might learn that in addition to ending slavery, the Civil War solidified the federal governmentÕs role and made the country, as the Pledge of Allegiance tells us, Òone nation under God, indivisible.Ó
Copyright 2010 Las Vegas Sun
