Sons of Confederate Veterans Seek to Remove Plaque
Lawyers for the Sons of Confederate Veterans have filed a motion in a state district court seeking to remove a plaque in the Texas Supreme Court building that the historical group says inadequately honors the Confederacy.
Fanning the flames of a decade-long battle with the state, the Confederate veterans group argues that the state has not gone through the appropriate channels to dedicate the plaque, which in 2000, under then-Gov. George W. Bush, replaced an older plaque that more overtly praised Confederate soldiers.
“This is on behalf on all of Texas — this is not just a Sons of Confederate Veterans ...
Comments (10)
Pat Smothers
Do any of the plaques commemorate Jim Bowie's successful slave trading business?
Deb Uetz
If we are looking back in history to find "perfect people," regardless of our geographical location, we will not succeed. There is always enough sin to go around; and to deny historical facts, even if they make us feel uncomfortable, is a mistake. The Confederacy and the United States did exist separately; accept it and hope that history doesn't repeat itself.
Joe Cutbirth via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Just FYI, this guy does not speak for or represent all Texans or the people of Texas, and there are plenty of people besides black legislators who think the state has done enough for the confederacy.
Sergio Hernandez De Santos via Texas Tribune on Facebook
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/profiles/kirk-lyons
Sidney Lambert III via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Mr. Ellis obviously has no background in Texas history. Look up Colonel Santos Benavides as a start. Education certainly will help. Federalist. This is a big word to work up to.
Deb Uetz
I plan on seeing the movie "Lincoln" this weekend. Since Steven Speilburg makes political statements with most of his "historical" films, I'm hoping this one doesn't place blame on the South only. If Lincoln believed in freedom for the slaves; did he also advocate equality? And why did Lincoln choose an African country to accept former slaves who wished to return to there? I wonder if this will be in the film?
Stanley Moore via Texas Tribune on Facebook
OR Cherokee General Stand Watie?
Dot Pate
Didn't want to see the movie Lincoln anyway. Ellis can go by himself!
Jim Golub
The soldiers who fought for the Confederacy did not fight for slavery any more than most of the Yankee soldiers fought to end it. The war wasn't about slavery anyway, at least, not until 1863 when Lincoln issued his famous and farcical "Emancipation Proclamation." What a sad joke of political machination.
The so called "Emancipation Proclamation" only applied to 10 Confederate states where it had no authority. Slaves held in bondage in Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware (Yes, "Delaware") continued to be so. Furthermore, 43 counties in Virginia and some Parishes in Louisiana were also exempt from releasing their slaves. Furthermore, any Confederate state that would have realigned with the USA would have been permitted to retain their slaves too. So tell me, just HOW was the Proclamation to end slavery? That wasn't done until Lincoln was dead with the 13th Amendment. (Though careful reading will show that the government retained the right to enslave unto itself.)
See the "movie" Lincoln!? Since WHEN has any movie been historically accurate??? If any movie about Lincoln ever was accurate, first of all, nobody would believe it because they have been lied to and mislead for so long. If it WAS believed, they would tear down his statue!
What about Lincoln's consideration of shipping all Negros "back" to Africa? He had feasibility studies done to determine if just that could be done. Never mind that most American Blacks were born in America and really knew nothing about Africa. The plan was only abandoned when it was determined it was way too expensive.
How about Lincoln's contempt for law and the Constitution? He was guilty of making war on foreign powers w/out the consent of congress and the illegal suspension of writ of habeus corpus just to name 2 things he did. It got bad enough that even during the war he was called on the carpet by the US Congress for usurpation of powers. He backed off a little but soon went back to his old bad ways letting it be known that any who opposed him could find themselves in prison as enemies of the state. So yeah. Let's see a movie about Lincoln, a TRUTHful one. It won't ever happen.
Another thing. Tear down all the Confederate Monuments and you tear down the first monument depicting a Negro soldier. That's right. The Confederate monument at Arlington, erected in 1913, was the first monument depicting a Negro soldier, head proudly up straining forward with his fellow Confederates. Of course the phoney hue and cry that no Black man ever voluntarily served the Confederacy is resounding forth. How ignorant and arrogant. Such soldiers were recorded by no less a personage than Frederick Douglas who well may be supposed to know what he was talking about or are we going to accuse him of being a white supremest too? Many Union soldiers wrote reports of being fired upon by Negro Confederates and Confederate memoirs tell of Negros in the ranks with them. Many were incarcerated in Union POW camps when they had only to swear the Yankee oath to walk out. Many were later proud and welcome members of Confederate veteran organizations after the war and ended their days in State Confederate soldiers homes.
So finally, 95% of Confederate soldiers were not slave holders and they certainly weren't giving up everything they held dear, suffering horrible hardships and giving even their lives to keep the Negro in slavery. That they did those things as Americans and accomplished amazing feats of arms in the process means instead of despising them and defaming them and denying them their due, their memory should be cherished by all.
A final thought. If those who fought against and finally overcame them did not begrudge them their monuments, WHY should any do so today?
Jim Baxa
The confederacy was about state's rights, not slavery.