Ford Street

Jefferson Davis -- a hero???

I am taking two courses right now (still plugging away trying to get my Master’s in history) – the Civil War and Reconstruction.  I’m about halfway through the Civil War class and have just begun the Reconstruction class.  The timing could be a tiny bit better – I would have loved to start the latter class in a couple of weeks – but no matter.  It’s a fascinating period in American history and I’m loving spending time immersed in it.  I’ve learned a whole lot, naturally, and some of it has been hard to swallow.  For one assignment, I had to defend Jefferson Davis’ position vis-à-vis the Civil War, and while it was easy to compile research, it was tough to write.  It was a great assignment, though, because the only reason I couldn’t get my head around Davis, or the South’s entire position, was slavery.  It’s tough to side with the folks who, according to history, seceded from the Union over the issue of slavery. 

But of course that wasn’t really the case – it was so much more than that.  The South went to war because they believed they were fighting for the same principles that their forefathers fought for; they thought themselves revolutionaries.  States had every right to secede if they did not agree with the government they were a part of; Why did Lincoln think that the South was breaking the spirit of the Constitution – the document clearly states, in the 10^th Amendment, that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”   So the states could secede if they so chose.  This is a portion of Davis’ inaugural address, as President of the Confederate States of America;

“Our present political position has been achieved in a manner unprecedented in the history of nations. It illustrates the American idea that governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will whenever they become destructive of the ends for which they were established. The declared purpose of the compact of the Union from which we have withdrawn was to "establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity;" and when, in the judgment of the sovereign States composing this Confederacy, it has been perverted from the purposes for which it was ordained, and ceased to answer the ends for which it was established, a peaceful appeal to the ballot box declared that, so far as they are concerned, the Government created by that compact should cease to exist.”

So, to the South, and to many students of the Civil War, Jefferson Davis was a patriot and a hero.  Davis didn’t ask to be President; he was chosen by his peers as the right man to lead a new nation into the future, and attract new states into the nation as well. To the South, slavery was not immoral; it was a successful system that employed Negroes, most of whom would not have been able to find a place in any society except their own. (Remember, not my own opinion here.)  While many, particularly those in the North, thought of slavery as an abomination, many Southerners had grown up with slaves and thought of them as part of the family. I found this quote in one of my course books – it would be hilarious, except for the fact that it was likely a prevailing opinion 150 years ago:

“For the slave also there were advantages and disadvantages in his lot, not to be found in other labor systems…of most importance was the fact that he was relieved of all personal direction and material care…Responsibility for his care and well-being and for the direction of his efforts was assumed by his master. The slave had no worries about loss of time or unemployment. Against losses from sickness, injury, and old age, he was secure…As long as his white folks ate, he too would have his rations…Life could be serene and unhurried.” (Avery Craven, The Coming of the Civil War, 82)

The economy of the South depended on the slave trade, since large plantations required a great deal of manpower to maintain.  The South knew that it was a minority in the United States, but it was a strong minority that had every chance at succeeding as a nation of its own. The South needed to ensure the survival of slavery in order to ensure its own survival. The North essentially backed the South into a corner on the slave issue and the continued existence of a lifestyle and a future. And, as I mentioned, slavery and the North’s supposed vehement opposition to it could not be the only motive for war. The South was in a prime position to take advantage of its climate, labor system and location, and establish an economy that far surpassed that of the North.

The government of the North was not “right” simply because it was the government of the majority. When faced with overwhelming pressure from the North to change their way of life – when new states were being admitted to the Union with the stipulation that they not engage in the slave trade – the South, and Jefferson Davis, did what any good American would have done. They fought to defend their right to be free.

December 7th, 1941

Today is the 65^th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

As a student of history, I’ve always been fascinated by this particular chunk of America’s past.  In retrospect, it was, of course, a stunningly bad decision for the Japanese; to quote Admiral Yamamoto, “I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”  (By the way, he supposedly never actually said this.)

It did, however, fill us with a terrible resolve.  U.S. war production ramped up immediately and efficiently.  We entered the war and played a huge role in the way that the war played out and in the way that the war was brought to a close. 

I recently read a book for school called “The Best War Ever” and one of the things that struck me most about the American experience in World War II was the massive propaganda machine that this country unrolled in order to motivate its citizens.  Of course it was propaganda and I recognize it as such; I’m not simple.  But, WOW, did it ever do a great job of inspiring people to go without and work toward “the common good” and suffer through the agony of having a loved one serve in the military.  The posters, the “Rosie the Riveter” campaign, the contributions that Hollywood made – all of these contributed just as much to the Allied victory as the soldiers on the ground overseas. 

I wonder if we’re too cynical these days, or we have access to too much information, or we just plain have been so crazy criticizing the way this country has been run of late, to fall for propaganda any more.  I wouldn’t say we’re smarter; I would say that, during World War II, we, as a country, had a pretty clear idea of who the enemy was and we did everything we could to help G. I. Joe fight the war, and win.  Now, we have no idea who the enemy is, and I fear that many of us think that the enemy actually resides in D.C. 

Recently I watched “Mrs. Miniver” for the, I don’t know, 30^th time in my life, and I was once again awestruck by what a masterpiece it is.  OK, it’s a great movie in and of itself.  But what a piece of propaganda!  This movie won the war!  It’s just amazing….and I wonder how anyone would go about making a 21^st-century version of “Mrs. Miniver.”  I don’t think it can be done. 

I’m not, even for a minute, saying that I support war.  Any kind of war.  From “Pippin” – “Men raise armies when they can’t get anything else up.”  That’s simplistic, I know, and I’m not trying to be facetious.  I don’t think there’s anything facetious about war.  And I don’t know that there would have been a diplomatic solution to World War II.  The Japanese, you see, were to have declared war formally before the Pearl Harbor attack – the message got stuck in diplomatic channels.  Hell, it was a Sunday morning…so Japan attacked the U.S. during peacetime, and riled an entire country, and paid a very hefty price. 

What I am saying is, I think the internet and the availability of so much information (which I think is nothing but good) makes it impossible for any kind of propaganda machine to survive.  Maybe that’s a good thing.  But, if something horrible happened tomorrow, I don’t know if the U.S. public could be incited to make the kind of sacrifices required to win a war like World War II again. 

Veteran's Day

On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, 1918, the guns fell silent in Europe.  With the cheers and hugs of men who moments before had faced each other across trenches, the "War to end all wars" was over.

Armistice Day was established to recognize the service of these soldiers and to remind people of the futility of war.  Over the years, the day has evolved into recognizing all veterans for their service.

We seem to have forgotten that.

Happy Veteran's Day.  Let peace be our profession.

Twist and Shout

On August 23, 1966, the Beatles played their last NYC concert, at Shea Stadium. Right about on second base.  40 years ago tonight. 

I was a 3-year-old, dancing and prancing to the Beatles albums that my mother played over and over and over again on the record player. She loved the Beatles, as did I – as I still do – and likely drove my Dad nuts, playing the same songs until we had every nuance memorized.

There was a band at Shea tonight, called 1964…The Tribute, that played before the game, and in between innings, and during the seventh inning stretch. They are a great Beatles cover band, but the lead singer appears to have had some plastic surgery so that he’ll look more like Paul, and he’s a little scary. OK, he’s quite scary. 

Still, it was great fun to hear the Beatles at Shea, 40 years from the date they made history by driving NYC area teenyboppers out of their little skulls. It felt historic.  It felt great. 

I was at the game with media, on behalf of my client (Sharp Electronics). I do love watching the game from a suite.  Funniest thing I heard all night: one of our media guests referred to Steve Trachsel, the starting pitcher for the Mets tonight, as “the human rain delay.”

Here is the Beatles setlist from August 23, 1966:

1. Rock And Roll Music
2. She's A Woman
3. If I Needed Someone
4. Day Tripper
5. Baby's In Black
6. I Feel Fine
7. Yesterday
8. I Wanna Be Your Man
9. Nowhere Man
10.Paperback Writer
11.Long Tall Sally

Unhappy Anniversary

How come hardly anyone mentioned that yesterday was the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima?

I find that incredible. 

I think, for a lot of years, we all lived our lives thinking, OK, we’ve certainly learned our lessons on that issue. The Cuban Missile Crisis notwithstanding.  But these days, we’re all dumber than we were when we started the nuclear journey, I think. Or at least some of us are.  Some of we are, certainly. (Not just them.) 

Anyway, I think it’s an important day to remember. I believe I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it, and so I have.

I enjoy camping, but let's not get silly

I’ve spent much of the day writing a paper for school.  The paper was a book review of Patricia Nelson Limerick’s The Legacy of Conquest, which as we all know was written to refute the points made by Frederick Jackson Turner in The Frontier in American History.  (A little history humor for you there.) 

Anyway.  When you think about, or read about, or watch films about, the history of the West, what have you got?  Lots of shoot-em-up stuff, lots of cowboy-and-Indian stuff, lots of white male dominated images.  I never really stopped to think about all those men traveling West to settle unknown land…and, um, the women they brought with them.  (Doh!)  And, yes, thanks, I read all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a child.  I still tend to think of Clint Eastwood, rather than his long-suffering pioneer wife. 

Ms. Limerick tells the story of one such woman, a Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight.  Traveling with her husband and seven children to Oregon, Mrs. Knight’s diary matter-of-factly notes the daily grind of traveling in harsh conditions, illnesses endured by herself and her family, and even, toward the end of their journey, the birth of her eighth child.  Hello!  The woman gave birth while relocating to Oregon in 1853!  The dust, the dirt, the lack of shelter, the Great Unknown – did this woman complain?  Not a bit of it.  “In endurance and stamina, Mrs. Knight was clearly the equal – if not the better – of the Kit Carsons and the Jedediah Smiths…it seems illogical to feel sorry for her, when she appears not to have felt sorry for herself.” (Limerick 53)

I don’t care if she didn’t feel sorry for herself.  My hat is off to Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight. 

Homework

The assignment is this: pick a subject in history, anything at all, and describe how the subject has been treated by different types of historians.  How did the Marxists feel about slavery in America?  How about the Annales view of the French Revolution?

Bother. 

It’s a little too broad for me; I am stuck in what-if land, and see no way out.  One day I’d like to do a paper on one subject; the next I’m off to something else.  Right now, at this very moment, I’m thinking: the frontier in American history, and, say, Turner, plus…plus WHAT?!?  How does one figure out who belongs to what house of history?  For example; thousands of pages written by and about Bernard Bailyn; whose camp is he in?  Is he a progressive? 

Bother.