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blacks, civil war, education, history, myths, negroes, north, owners, slave, slavery, south, southern, war of nothern aggression
I was abruptly reminded this past week of the general ignorance of American history among our young people, specifically in regards to slavery in America and its relation to what those truly educated will correctly refer to as the “War of Northern Aggression.” The fact is, myths propagated by the public educational system still pervade the minds of young and old alike and continue to flame the fire of ignorance.
When I hear slavery myths put forth in casual conversation, I may grin and say nothing; however, such myths have no place in a Bible study or from the pulpit yet they keep popping up in surprising places.
History is important. So is the truth of it. There may be many readers who will give a hearty ‘Amen!’ to this post, and others who will brush it aside as ignorance of my own. That being said, if facts mean anything, and they do, I would be thrilled if even one reader’s thinking was challenged enough to re-examine previously held beliefs by the examination of indisputable facts –if only they were researched!
Consider the following:
- The South never owned slave ships.
- The South never bought Africans in Africa to make slaves of them.
- The South never profited from the sale of free men into slavery.
- The South bought men who had already been made slaves by the big money from the North.
- The Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves in the North, but it destroyed the economy of the South.
- Gen. Sherman himself was a slave owner (Did he free his slaves after the Emancipation Proclamation?).
I highly encourage you to read Truths of History for a real education.
Laurence M. Vance has also written on the topic of Slavery myths mistakenly still being held by many as historical fact.
In his article, he points out some real truth while demolishing the myths of the Lincoln cult, with sources:
- Myth number one: Slavery was a distinctively Southern institution.
- Myth number two: The White man captured slaves in the African jungles.
- Myth number three: Blacks never owned slaves.
- Myth number four: Slave masters were brutal taskmasters.
- Myth number five: The Civil War was fought entirely over slavery.
- Myth number six: Slaves never defended the Confederacy.
- Myth number seven: Abraham Lincoln was the Negroes friend.
I would also encourage you to read Mr. Vance’s article and give it careful thought. The quotes by Lincoln themselves are worth the read.
As Mr. Vance says in his closing words, “Slavery myths — may they be forever banished to the dustbin of history.”
Amen to that!
Related Posts:
Six Myths About Abraham Lincoln
Stonewall Jackson: Christian, Civil-Rights Leader & Champion of Black Literacy
Well, I can’t thrill you by being challenged to reexamine my beliefs about southern slavery, because someone beat you to it by some years. But if it’s any consolation, you’ve made an excellent presentation which I pray will challenge others who have bought into the revisionists’ propaganda.
I will dispute a minor point regarding the wording of your item #3: The South never directly “engaged in” the sale of free men into slavery– that had been done before those men ever reached the American South, but the south DID profit from it, even if indirectly.
You know, you’re a bit of a fanatic. There are other things I like about you, too, but that one’s high on the list!
Now that’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all day, thanks.
Actually number 2 is true, at least partially. I am currently reading “the travels of Charles Livingstone”, and in the trip of 1859 there are plenty of descriptions of white, non-English slavers rounding up slaves.
I think the myth is rather that whites were alone in the gathering. As this book, and many, many other historical sources would show, the black Africans in the villages themselves were culprits in procuring slaves of their fellow citizens to the whites, in many cases simply because of money or quarrel. Historically, Black and Arab involvement get a free pass, but no such massive undertaking over such an extended period could be possible without collaboration from native populations in any part of the world, at any time in history.
The slavery and Lincoln myths play well into the dichotomous “whites are bad (slavery)” and “great white savior (Lincoln) notions “progressive” history tries to portray.
The context of the statements refer to the period leading up to (as a cause) and during the war, but thanks for the info. Point being, the South was not the culprits, but the Northern states were.