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

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html