Statues of prominent figures in the Confederacy are a common sight in the South. But who were these men?
, a collaborative project of USA TODAY Network newsrooms across the South to examine the legacy of the Confederacy and its influence on systemic racism today.
The removal of statues of Confederate leaders — as well as those of others who promoted or profited from slavery and racism — has become a focal point of calls for a true confrontation with racial inequality in the United States. As part of that conversation, USA TODAY Network newsrooms across the South are taking a critical look at several such figures to understand who they were and what they believed.
In 1868, Forrest gave an interview with a Cincinnati Commercial reporter that was widely published in newspapers around the country. In the interview, he said the Ku Klux Klan had"no doubt" been a benefit in Tennessee. While he denied being an official member, he said he was part of the organization"in sympathy," and later when Forrest testified before Congress about the KKK he eventually disclosed that he was familiar with rituals and practices.
Susannah Ural, professor of history and co-director of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi, said Davis seemed to be a natural choice for president of the Confederacy. " the primary cause, but it's not the only cause," Ural said."When you talk about states' rights, when you talk about what powers the federal government should have versus state authority, one of the central issues to states' rights was the right to slavery.""There's never one cause of a war, and things that motivate people to fight in a war change over the course of time," she said.
A statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is removed from Lee Circle Friday, May 19, 2017, in New Orleans. Lee's was the last of four monuments to Confederate-era figures to be removed under a 2015 City Council vote on a proposal by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.In an interview, Thomas referenced a famous letter Lee wrote about slavery in 1857. In it, Lee distilled his views as a slave owner on race.
"He anticipated social Darwinism … In the evolutionary pyramid of human beings, I think he saw white folks like himself at the top. And African Americans somewhere down the ranks, above American Indians whom he really thought were dreadful," Thomas said.Known as the “Boy Hero of the Confederacy,” Sam Davis' story was resurrected from obscurity in the late 1800s by journalist Archibald Cunningham, founder of the Confederate Veteran magazine.
Data from the American Battlefield Trust notes that Charles and Jane Davis, Sam Davis' parents, originally owned a 830-acre plantation located in Smyrna. By 1860, there were 51 enslaved people owned by the Davis family. Sam Davis also had his own slave, named Coleman Davis, who was gifted to him when he was a boy. J.
Andrew Johnson considered himself a champion of the common man — but only when those common men were white.William Andrew Johnson, a former slave of President Andrew Johnson, in front of the White House in Washington, DC in February 1937. In his... Johnson believed in what's called"herrenvolk democracy" — the idea that the lowest white man in the social hierarchy should be above the highest Black man, said Aaron Astor, a history professor at Maryville College who researches the Civil War-era South.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
As calls to remove Confederate monuments grew louder, states passed new laws to protect themThroughout the South, local governments have taken to removing monuments despite state laws that put them at risk of heavy fines.
Read more »
Former President George W. Bush at John Lewis' funeral: 'He will live forever in the hearts of Americans'Former president George W. Bush hailed civil rights giant John Lewis on Thursday for his devotion to justice and rejection of hate. Read the full transcript:
Read more »
Drake Honors Tupac Shakur with Twin Pendants Worth $600,000Drake honors Tupac with twin pendants worth a whopping $600k.
Read more »
Opinion | Rioters Attack More Than a CourthouseFrom WSJopinion: If Joe Biden wants to lead, he needs to specifically decry the violence in Portland and Seattle and call on local officials to stop it, writes KarlRove
Read more »