Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has gotten some serious criticism for signing a proclamation declaring April “Confederate History Month,” and especially for making no mention of slavery in the document. He got more criticism after saying in an interview that he had only “focused on the [issues] I thought were most significant for Virginia.”
ThinkProgress, for example, titled their post “McDonnell: Slavery Wasn’t ‘Significant’ Enough To Be Included In My Proclamation Honoring The Confederacy .”
TPM asked McDonnell’s office to clarify the “significant” statement. From his press secretary, Stacey Johnson:
The Governor issued the proclamation because the Civil War was the defining moment in our nation’s history, and Virginia was at the center of that conflict as the Capitol of the Confederacy. The Governor’s proclamation calls for appropriate thoughtful and serious reflection upon this period, and what it meant for our country and our Commonwealth. The Governor knows that slavery is a significant part of Virginia’s history. Slavery was evil and it is a stain on the soul of our state and nation.
