Some Southern states are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Confederacy, and trying to rewrite history to redefine the causes of the Civil War. By claiming the war was not about slavery (which it obviously was about) but instead over states' rights or economic issues, they can justify their celebration of the treacherous event.
Fortunately, Texas is not one of those states celebrating the dubious anniversary. There are no official state-sanctioned events commemorating Texas secession. Even the state's far-right Republican leadership wants no part of celebrating the fight to keep slavery legal. But that brings up the question of why. When many of its Confederate brethren are celebrating, why is Texas not doing so? I think there are several reasons, and some of them are:
* Texas is well on its way to becoming a state where minorities will soon make up the majority of the population. Celebrating slavery and white supremacy is just not smart politics.
* In the last few decades Texas has grown rapidly due to immigration from other states, and many of those people came from north of the Mason-Dixon line. These new Texans do not have Confederate ancestors and have no wish to celebrate the institution of slavery (or the fight to keep it).
* While Texas had 181,000 slaves when they seceded, they were primarily located in East Texas and the Gulf Coast. After the war, Texas' history was mostly involved in a Cowboy/Western tradition, and today most Texans identify more with that tradition than a Southern one.
* At least a third of its non-slave population voted to stay in the Union (including Texas' most revered hero, Sam Houston, who was run out of the state for not swearing allegiance to the Confederacy). Four counties voted to stay in the Union, and in one of them (Cooke County) there were over 50 people hung for remaining loyal to the United States. Other counties also had such instances of Texan against Texan, and even today there are hard feelings among some over these events.
I'm sure there may be more reasons for Texas to avoid making itself look foolish by celebrating the Confederacy. As a life-long Texan (whose family has been in the state for several generations), I am just happy that there are no official celebrations. Our current Republican leaders have given the state enough to be embarrassed about without dredging up this unsavory bit of history.
All Texans should remember the horrible mistake Texas made by seceding from the Union and fighting to keep slavery. We should remember it so we don't ever repeat it. But it is certainly nothing to celebrate.
Most Texans nowadays forget their heritage and heart for what it meant to be Independent with the freedoms of unhindered liberty.
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me that most of the population concedes to the propagandist ideals of the United Empire of States.
Just giving it some thought how could 300,000 men volunteer their lives, family and homes just for the sake of owning another man that most never would. Including 100,000 black men who fought along side them.
One also forgets that the Lincoln administration ratified an amendment to the Constitution to protect slavery and its growth in order to keep the Southern States in the Union. If Slavery was THE REASON for the Secession and War then why do it if the United States Guaranteed slavery by Constitutional right. Why secede? Any investigator would ponder upon that and dig deeper to find the truth.
You are a Texan. That means you are a proud Independent that stands strong for Texas in and of itself.
Sam Houston was bought by the US in order to economically save Texas because he had botched the Republic that was Texas. Texans remembered and still wanted their Independent Republic back. So the people took over and cast out those who had gotten on their knees for a Government no longer ruled by its people but by a centralized entity of banking interests and power.
My family also comes from Texas and fought for its Independence from Mexico and from the United States.
Even today Texans stand to defy the despotism of the Government and then when threatened by the same Government its legislative body doing what was right to protect its people by our election cower and hide changing a unanimous vote to one that failed.
To me they are not TEXANS! Texans would never cower before the might of an Empire! We never have until now. Texans are in an uproar over our wives and children being molested and groped by the TSA while the legislature cowers before the threatening might of the growing Empire all because of a little threat to order a "NO FLY ZONE" over the State of Texas.
In any other country around the globe that would be considered an act of war! A no fly zone means it takes military fighter jets to enforce it. Which says the Government is willing to attack its own people. What does this tell you?
Live on your knees then and love your enslavement to the power of the United Empire of States.
I once served in the Navy proudly and America has changed even more so since then. Becoming a parasitic bug that feeds of its own people and will bite those who resists its need to feed.
I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and the people it represents from foreign and domestic tyranny, despotism and enemies.
The Government itself has become a tyrannical despotic enemy of its people through its protective safeguards of restrictive liberties and violations of Constitutional Amendments.
To sit there and cast dark judgement on what Texas truly was and to defend the lies of propaganda with a one sided bigoted view about a single minute fact out of many to cast what it meant to be a Confederate and a Texan appalls me.
I am a Texan and proud of our Independent and Confederate Heritage.
It is a shame most have forgotten the truth through the lies of one sided preservation of what History was and should be.
Political Correctness has cowered Americans into obedient compliance. Know yourself and you will know others. Not what they say you and them are. Segregation and racism exists because of this.
DEO VINDICE! [><]
Proud of my Southron Heritage. Those Scumbags can shove it.Marines Vietnam 1968-18 years old.Sons of Confederate Veterans. Semper Fi Dixie. I fly only the Battle Flag and Marine Corps Flag for service in Vietnam.
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