Category: History

Removal of Confederate symbols is personal (and mandatory!)

If you don’t understand why it’s critical that these confederate monuments be removed then you just don’t understand enough about why they are there in the first place! Perhaps this short video from the PBS Newshour will help you understand the way it did for me:

You see, most of these statues were erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to support the glorious ‘Lost Cause’ and promoted racism. They weren’t erected after the war — most were erected from 1890 to 1920 as a strong antithetical racist backlash to the early success of African Americans during the reconstruction under President Grant (the first civil rights president).

I hope that if you take a moment to learn why these statues are so offensive, then you too will want them removed!

Recommended reading: As a Black woman from the South, removal of Confederate symbols is personal – CNNPolitics

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Review: Essential History in ‘Reconstruction’ on PBS

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Watch “Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech on liberty” on YouTube

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Let’s Finish the American Revolution

I recommend this op-ed piece in the New York Times.

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Frederick Douglass’ Descendants Read His Famous ‘Fourth Of July’ Speech

Descendants of Frederick Douglass read excerpts from one of his most famous speeches: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Douglass gave this speech to a group of abolitionists 168 years ago: Frederick Douglass’ Descendants Read His Famous ‘Fourth Of July’ Speech

 

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America After The Civil War: Reconstruction

I have never been interested in the Civil War — seemed to just be a big fustercluck to me. Now, the thought occurs to me that you cannot understand our current situation until you understand that the Civil War actually accomplished very little and that much of the work of the Civil War and for that matter, the Declaration of Independence, is STILL undone.

From this day forward, the 4th of July will be a day of mourning and reflection to me until that day when we begin to realize this basic tenet of the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence, July 2, 1776

Let the work begin…

The short version

Perhaps when we begin to understand our history on a deeper level we can realize that the America we have celebrated is a fantasy — it never existed!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!

America, Langston Hughes

Interested in this topic? Here’s some recommended reading.

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Opinion | If We Are Not Just Animals, What Are We?

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The Luddites

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In the early hours of the morning on December 21 something magical happens in an Irish field, the rising sun aligns perfectly with an ancient passage tomb, travels down the long corridor and illuminates the inner chamber. Go to the source to read the backstory: 5,000yo Irish tomb’s winter solstice magic to be livestreamed (VIDEO) — RT World News

Watch here:

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Legendary Irish hero Michael Collins was assassinated 93 years ago today

The Irish fighting legend Michael Collins also had a marvelous way with words. Here are his 10 most memorable quotes. Source: Legendary Irish hero Michael Collins was assassinated 93 years ago today | IrishCentral.com 

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Battles of Saratoga

The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. Continue reading “Battles of Saratoga” →

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