Comments on: Black slave owners in the Golden Circle

By: Confederate Papist

Confederate Papist — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:13:50 +0000

Wasn’t Robert Johnson the first slave holder in North America?

Wasn’t he black?

And, if my memory serves, he was the first actual slave holder of white and black slaves who used to be indentured servants and could not earn/buy freedom?

Corrections are requested if my memory is incorrect.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 14:02:48 +0000

I understood, VS. I was just trying to be clear for others reading the comment.

By: Virginian Secessionist

Virginian Secessionist — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 05:08:55 +0000

Completely agree with you, Michael. I was not intending to say that race wasn’t an issue (that’s the fantasy of the Rainbow Confederates), just that it wasn’t the “we hate all them blacks” fantasy of the Yanks either.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 04:20:45 +0000

VS, the racial aspect was certainly important. Our ancestors essentially seceded to prevent the destruction of their people (racial and cultural) in the South. At the same time, they were quite different than our enemies make them out today, as you note. Your point about Ellison is true. In the world our enemies construct from history, he would not have been possible.

By: Virginian Secessionist

Virginian Secessionist — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 02:49:00 +0000

As is often the case, the truth of the antebellum South’s race relations lies in between the two extremes. It was not the egalitarian utopian fantasy of the Rainbow Confederates, but it was also not the black-hating-ready-to-die-just-so-they-don’t-have-to-free-the-negroes fantasy of the Yanks. Our forefathers’ interest in defending slavery was not out of a hatred for blacks (if it were, Mr. Ellison would never have become the successful man he was), but rather a desire to defend the culture and way of life that helped to make the South what it was. It was about cultural identity, not racial hatred.