David Kiracofe wrote:
"Presentism is not a fallacy -- it is analytical error. When
historians take a primary source, they are supposed to subject it to
appropriate analysis -- removing the source from its proper context, as
when applying modern mores to past behaviors or intellectual
frameworks, is simply an error making for poor history."
Thank you David. This is the first intelligible and intelligent
thought I've seen on this list in a long time.
As for Ft. Monroe, it ought to be preserved, but not by developers, and
not as a nifty "Freedom Park". Furthermore, during and after the Civil
War, freedmen built Phoebus, which is part of Hampton. It is an area
adjacent to the bridge to Ft. Monroe, and certainly deserves some
research, preservation, and interest.
Butler designated the slaves that ran to his fortifications as
contraband because there was no procedure in place for dealing with
them. He didn't want to return them to their masters, but had no
protocol to apply for keeping them. Contraband was the term for any
material, items, etc. that would be useful to the Confederacy in
pursuing the war effort. Butler applied that definition to the slaves
(which they were legally), as they could have been used to build
fortifications for the South, or in any number of helpful capacities.
Having given this simple and child-like explanation, I would like to
say that this list has now become a ridiculous partisan food fight.
I'm tired of ill-bred comments by some, and self-hate comments by
others. Everyone with an IQ of 70 knows that Columbus, Jefferson, et
al, were not Christ-like figures. It isn't necessary to cite their
sins with every mention of their name.
It also appears to me, (a lowly grandmother with only a B.A.) that the
exact genetic composition of the Hemmings descendants has not yet been
determined. Looks to me like there is a familial connection somewhere
to the Jefferson family. However, until science can determine exactly
who fathered who, why don't we bury this dead horse, as there is little
left of its badly beaten carcass.
The hair-splitting, second-guessing, and self-flagellation that is
rampant on this list is what makes children hate history.
Further this witness saith not.
Elizabeth
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