Since signing a proclamation declaring April “Confederate History Month” in the state of Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has been blasted by black leaders, Democrats and local newspapers. Many are taking special issue with the proclamation because McDonnell makes no mention of slavery.
The commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the group that every year pushes the governor to declare Confederate History Month, brushed aside the notion that the proclamation was whitewashing history or somehow supporting slavery.
“The history of the Confederacy includes slaves. It’s 150 years after the Civil War. We’re not in 1865. We’re in 2010. No one is for slavery, period,” Brag Bowling tells TPM. “There are so many more issues that are more important in this country, I think, than screaming about a proclamation honoring Virginia soldiers.”
“It baffles me,” he added.
McDonnell was asked about the omission by the Washington Post. He said he left it out because “there were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia.”
The governor’s spokeswoman, asked for comment, said she would get back to us.
[Late update: McDonnell’s press secretary responds.]
The proclamation, which you can read here, reads in part, “It is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth’s shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War.”
It also says, “All Virginians can appreciate the fact that when ultimately overwhelmed by the insurmountable numbers and resources of the Union Army, the surviving, imprisoned and injured Confederate soldiers gave their word and allegiance to the United States of America.”
McDonnell is the first governor since 2000 to issue such a proclamation. The last two governors, both Democrats, refused to do so. Other governors, including Gov. Doug Wilder, the country’s first black governor since Reconstruction, have declared proclamation about either the Confederacy or the Civil War.
One local paper, which, as Greg Sargent points out, endorsed McDonnell in last year’s gubernatorial race, called the omission of slavery “inexcusable.”
“McDonnell speaks of shared history, yet does not cite slaves. Southern heritage includes not only those who supported the Confederacy but those who welcomed the Union armies as liberators,” reads the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial. “McDonnell recognizes that the past must be interpreted within the context not only of its times but of ours. The inexcusable omission reduces the slaves and their descendants to invisibility once again.”
The Washington Post, as well as the state’s Legislative Black Caucus and NAACP chapter, also condemned the proclamation.
But Bowling, the head of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, hopes the proclamation can bring Virginia’s black and white populations together through education.
“We think the history of the state, and the benefits of the proclamation, will accrue to all people. There’s a shared history in Virginia, white and black. We think this will help improve [relations],” Bowling said. “When you see the negativity coming from the black caucus, the liberal media, this to me is the perfect example of why you need Confederate History Month. They won’t listen, period.”
Late update: ThinkProgress points out that other states, including Texas, Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama all have legislation or proclamations declaring April Confederate History Month. Georgia’s proclamation doesn’t mention slavery. Nor did Mississippi’s 2009 proclamation.
