At this
point I truly feel I should address a few words to some Americans I had a
chance to talk to. Or some I had never met in my life, but I know in need of at
least a good history book. I’m going
to talk about the American Civil War, a topic I’m very interested in, a topic
still pretty hot over here, a topic that, should you pronounce the wrong word
or something the interlocutor doesn’t want to hear, might prompt a reaction
like “Ok, this conversation is over”. The latter was a quote from a real conversation
I had, so, no kidding at all.
Let’s start
right from there. Even though I’m Italian and I shouldn’t probably care about
it, I am travelling with a Confederate flag hanging from the back of my truck.
One smaller sticker, still with the rebel flag, sticks on the trunk door. Once,
when in Glacier NP, a 19 years old (I’ve later been told) Californian girl from
Berkeley (Berkeley stinks kind of a lot to me, for its human outputs) got to
know that, she asked me explanations regarding that thing. I started saying
“Well, first of all to me that means respect for MILITARY figures that fought
under that flag – among the others, genius like R.E.Lee, “Stonewall” Jackson,
J.E.B. Stuart. Then, I did love people from the South during my travel. I loved
their way of life, their customs, their friendliness. So, to me that also means
my love for those places” (of course I cannot overstuff my truck with flags
from every southern state..) Was her turn. As far as she was concerned, that
flag means slavery, and racism. Period. No explanations. That’s history, to
her. As easy as it might be. I then tried to reply that her was a way too
superficial view of the war and the history of that period overall, trying to
then argue that the Civil War was pretty much a clash between two different
realities, two different economies, two different way of life. She wouldn’t
understand. Of course. She would not even hear my arguments. And there comes
the famous quote, “Ok, this conversation is over”.
I should
probably excuse her, being just 19 years old and not having already a developed
judgment instinct. I should probably excuse her, for her’s coming from a place
like Berkeley that, when it comes to issues like this one, is a “peculiar”
place. To put it this way. But, after all, I didn’t excuse her. Simply she was
too short-sighted.
Another
example came a few weeks ago. I was having lunch sitting on the back of my
truck on a parking lot at Moose visitor center, Grand Tetons NP. The Dixie flag
was hanging and flapping in the wind behind my shoulders. A middle-aged man
stops his car right in front of me, rolls down the window, and asks “So let me
ask you buddy, what does that flag mean to you?”. And I reply, the same way I’d
later reply to that Californian teen.
Then he asks “Where are you from?” And me, laughing a little bit, “I’m from
Italy”. Prompted by my “non-americanness”, he starts his monologue. His dumb
one. “Well, let me tell you one thing buddy. Here, this flag means slavery, and
racism. If you bear that flag, is like you’re telling people you’re a racist”.
I try to stop him, already tired of hearing so much silliness in a single
sentence. I can’t, though. “You better stick to your bumper a sticker like I’M
A RACIST”. I point out that I’m not a racist at all, and that slavery doesn’t
exist anymore in this country nowadays, at least not in that way. He wouldn’t
listen. Again, of course! He would address me this last sentence “You would
just deserve to get kicked in your ass man!”, and he drives away. Didn’t look
at the car’s plate. Probably was California and reading “John Power – Berkeley
auto dealer”.After those two “encounters”, I had been lucky enough to get a copy of the DVD “Warriors of Honor”, gifted me by one of the greatest persons I’ve ever met on this trip. I strongly suggest you to watch it. Not to pretend to be the head of U.S.’s Dept. of Education, but this DVD should be watched by every kid in every school. In the North and in the South. It’s an account, with re-inactions and old-time pictures, of the Civil War through the eyes of two of the most brilliant generals in history – for sure in this war – Lee and Jackson. It covers everything. And it unveils things that, I bet and I’m pretty sure I’d win, most Northerners don’t know. For sure those two examples I gave you, they don’t know this.
Very
briefly, or at least, as briefly as possible, when people like them talk to me
that way, they ignore:
-
That
the had been fought more over economic, political reasons than over the matter
of slavery. North and South were walking two different paths, they were way too
distant between each other, and even though an attempt to keep the Nation
together (thing that happened, I might say fortunately afterwards) was just
noble, the North had been pretty happy to impose ITS law. Its economy needed to
survive. They didn’t care much about the Southern way, a totally different one.
Slavery was soon taken as the pretest – a very noble one - for a war that would choke Southerners’
lifestyle, customs, lives.
-
That
the Emancipation Proclamation, the core, the gem of the yankees’ kindness and
humanity towards slaves, didn’t free ONE SINGLE slave in the North, or in
Southern lands occupied by Northern troops.
-
That
Lincoln, the president who embedded the fight for equality, human rights and
emancipation, did say that he wouldn’t accept any statement of Negro equality
to white man, nor he would give up any leadership in favor of the Negroes.
(Hey, we’re talking about the person most of Americans link to NEGRO RIGHTS!!
Uh-oh! Surprise!)
-
That
states like Connecticut or Indiana didn’t want any negro to settle down in
their lands. Northern states. Even in Illinois – beloved Lincoln’s homeland –
the Constitution, back in 1861 (war time) declared that any negro is allowed to
settle down in this territory. (Another surprise!)
-
That
more than a few Northern, prominent family did have slaves, and were not ready
to give up on’em.
-
That
there was a certain guy in the Yankee army called Sheridan, who burnt down a
strip of land as huge as 60 miles wide and 300 miles long. And in that area,
leashed free his troops, who would steal, destroy, rape – both white and negro
civilians. The negroes they were fighting to free.
-
That,
in bold contrast, Lee’s troops had very much always been very respectful of his
commander’s orders, and being Lee one of the greatest, sensible and devoted to
God generals in history, his orders were to NOT even touch civilians, were them
friendly or hostile. And that’s how it went most of the times. There has been
exceptions, of course, but on the Dixie side, this was not normal at all.
-
That
a French traveler who was cruising around the country, a certain Alexandre
Toqueville, so a person not into slavery matters by himself, got to observe
that slaves in the southern states were treated very well, more like members of
the family than like actual slaves. Most of them liked their owners, and
sometimes they even used to hang out with their families. Pictures prove it.
Again, exceptions are to be found, and mean owners had sure administered slaves
their own way. But, as said before, this was not the totality, not even the
majority, as instead history books would teach students.
-
That
well into the Civil War, as a reaction to the draft ordered by Lincoln, New
York city experienced wild riots, where some tens of negroes were lynched by
the crowds. The same negroes that they claimed to be fighting for.
That’s not even everything. That’s just a
sample. I’m sure there’s way more to know and to talk about. As I’m pretty sure
that guys like the two ones I cited at the beginning, wouldn’t believe any of
my words. Good for them. Point is, I don’t like to live like an ignorant, to be
taught what to think, and to not be critical. I try to scratch the surface, and
if you do that over this issue, that’s what you’re very likely to come to. Because if there’s one thing I really want to remind those Yankees still believing that this rebel flag I bear means SLAVERY and RACISM, well that thing is that history is written by winners. Not by losers. You know what they wanted you to know. Now I’m not going to say that IF Lee had an army like the Potomac army he would have won the war for the South in a few months – even though I really believe it, you can add McClellan to Hooker to Grant and not make a Lee – the only thing I want to say is that those guys should just open their eyes, get rid of those digested ideas and be critical. Be fair. Not just dumb.
