The Truth about the NAACP and Slavery Apologies
by J. A. DavisOur phones and messages have been taxed to near capacity in the last few days
since it has been announced that some sort of deal has been made between President
Pro Tem Eric Johnson, (R) of the Georgia Senate, and Representative Al Williams
(D) in the House, to compromise a totally unrelated and non-germane bill, SB 283,
on Confederate History and Heritage to somehow encompass an apology from all Georgians
for slavery.We Southern descendants of Confederates have sat back too long and watched
without criticism as a powerful steamroller designed to divide our nation and
promulgate special interests that promote a doctrine representing racism in
its rawest form. See the 1991 and continuing resolutions (see text below) of
the NAACP.There are some facts that we should have dealt with long ago that are outlined
in documented detail here.My history as an adult goes back fifty years as a member of the John B. Gordon
camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In those days and until recently,
there was never a hint of any disrepect or disparagement of the Confederacy.
Quite the opposite. We were a significant part of the civic leadership of Georgia.I recall attending meetings at one time or another where five or six Georgia
governors or former governors, all members, were present. This included practically
every state office holder in Georgia. These people weren’t interested in promoting
anything other than the preservation of the true history and honor of the Confederate
solider. I don’t recall any significant discussions or programs regarding slavery.So that you may get some perspective, let’s call it like it is. Among this
group were Ellis Arnall, who was the leader along with SCV members and Georgia
Jaycees, in unmasking the Ku Klux Klan, back in the forties. In this group was
Ernest Vandiver, who, while governor, ordered a review of all so called Jim
Crow laws which were brought to Georgia by Union occupiers during the so called
decade of Reconstruction. His actions resulted in the Georgia General Assembly
scrubbing those laws from the books.Another Confederate descendant, William B. Hartsfield, enlisted me in the early
sixties to work with a bi-racial committee with the purpose of eliminating racial
strife and unrest during tumultuous sixties. With a great spirit of cooperation
Georgia avoided the looting, burning and devastaton that took place throughout
America, thanks in large part to the vision of Mayor Hartsfield and community
leaders of all stripes.Being specific, we integrated our schools and universities. We opened opportunities
for all Georgians in employment, education and mutual respect. Any fair minded
person not blinded by propaganda or outright lies can trace the history. No
period in Georgia history has been more productive in all of the indices related
to economic well being when you gauge the huge increases based on percentage
of population.Those who would have you believe otherwise fail to recognize the huge population
growth, the development of major league sports and the hosting of the Oympics
during a period of harmony.Until the period following the callous attack on all of our people by the NAACP
in the early nineties, Georgia was a unique beacon on the hill of states.President Eisenhower, through Harry Seamons at the Department of State, asked
that I travel to several nations of the world to exploit the successes of racial
harmony we developed in Georgia. This resulted in more businesses and people
choosing Georgia as an international friendly destination. The importance of
my mission was to illustrate that America was not all about a Little Rock school
dispute, or racial unrest in Birmingham or many Northern cities that experienced
similar or more serious situations.The reception overseas was welcomed by heads of state and diplomatic services
that provided forums for me to deliver a personal message from President Eisenhower.While much progress was made in restoring harmony in America in the sixties,
seventies and eighties, the NAACP lost its once laudatory compass. It became
a corrupt harbor for people who lost the vision of programs to promote the well
being of the black population. Read the news reports of the period and you will
see the sordid story of how the organization was highjacked by unsavory greed,
resulting in near bankrutcy and a bailout with restrictive handcuffs by a consortium
of leftist leaning individuals and organizations.The bailout resulted in another unfortunate development for the needed representation
of many ills in all of America, but particuarly in the black community. They
shifted most of their emphasis from programs of substance in order to emphasize
emotional programs, such as attacks on symbols, Red Herrings and bogiemen. Lest
you think I’m speaking of only Confederate symbols, consider their alliance
with the liberal wing of the Democratic party, investigated by the IRS for suspected
violations of their tax free status. While they were exonerated for most of
the alleged violations, they are still under an IRS watch.But that’s not all. They have involved themselves in alliances with the Gay
Community and have taken positions in support of gay marriage. The NAACP has
engaged a wholly unsuccessful boycott over a flag on the capitol grounds in
South Carolina. Two significant developments have occurred. Black businesses
have suffered losses and some have closed. South Carolina tourism has increased
at record levels during this ill fated decision. The worst news is that the
programs that could be helping myriad problems like black teenage pregnancy,
black on black crime, large increases in black drug use and drug dealing are
being put to the side.The NAACP was recently slapped down by the NCAA when they tried to expand discrimanatory
restrictions on the athletes of all colors by eliminating collegiate athletic
tournaments and playoffs in states where the people have chosen to maintain
symbols with Confederate indicia.Even more unfortunate is the recent resignation of a new NAACP president, who,
after eighteen months readily admitted the huge bureaucratic board of directors
and he were at odds as to the directions the organization should take. He made
it plain he wanted to try to do something about programs of substance for black
people, and therein was the problem.The NAACP will not spend money for programs to uplift people. They can’t. They
continue to lose money beause of outrageous expenses such as huge executive
salaries and perks. Some in the range of $300,000 inclusve. They spend several
millions of dollars for a convention which includes hotel suites and limousines
for their elite.The disagreement within the NAACP itself centers around the position of the
long entrenched leadership. I’ll summarize in my own words. Don’t develop helpful
programs that cost money. Don’t make agreements to resolve issues. If an agreement
is made, break it, like South Carolina, that makes a new issue. After all, if
we don’t create issues, we’re out of business. Remember, creating racial strife
is our job one. Don’t worry, the media will support us. They always do. If someone
like the Georgia Heritage Council complains, just label them all as racists
and it will make big news and controversy. The media loves that. Another Day
Another Lie!So you will understand this is not me bashing the NAACP, I will give you the
words of the highly regarded Better Business Bureau report on chairities. In
fact, we’ll link to it so you can read it for yourself. In summary, you will
see that the NAACP fails in 6 of 20 disclosure requirements.While doing so, look at the statement the BBB could verify and you will see
the NAACP continues to spend wildly for little substanial improvement in programs
that could help black people. This results in a loss of almost five million
dollars in the reporting period covered.Note also the NAACP income from members is surprisingly low, while income from
what can best be described as "corporate shakedowns" is considerably
higher, but has been declining in recent years.Anyone who thinks they may be doing a good thing to support this organization
financially should be made aware of where their money is going. Any hopes of
improving the lot of black people went out the door when Bruce Gordon resigned
as president.The debate over slavery is a complex one that defies a quick easy conclusion.
Unfortunately, our educators and many people today have been inculcated to believe
the War Between The States was over slavery and only slavery. Further, these
same brainwashers would like to have you believe slavery occurred only in the
South.Without getting into a long discourse on a who should bear the guilt for slavery,
I will leave you with just two well-known and documented items in American history.
If you care about the truth, you’ll take a little time to bring yourself into
the arena of the informed. Of course, you may say you don’t need to be informed,
you’ve already made up your mind. After all, what they taught in school must
be right.Neither of the documents I commend to you are Confederate. They are U.S. documents.
1. Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address. Plainly states that Lincoln’s paramount
purpose is "Preserving the Union" (federal revenues).2. The U. S. Congress in 1860 upon the recommendation of Abraham Lincoln passed
the then 13th Amendment, known as the Corwin Admendment. Representatives and
Senators from the South had left Washington and didn’t participate. Read it,
it is one of America’s intentionally forgotten documents. You will see the Congress
declared and presented to the people a Constitutional Amendment which protected
slavery where it existed in perpetuity. The Amendment was on its way to adoption
as several Northern states approved it when Fort Sumter took place.Here’s the text of the Amendment:
"No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or
give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the
domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service
by the laws of said State."
Lincoln indicated in his first inaugural address that he would support the Corwin
amendment to prohibit Congressional interference with slavery by any means.
Here’s the relevant mention (paragraph 29):"I understand a proposed amendment to the Constitution—-which amendment,
however, I have not seen—-has passed Congress, to the effect that the
Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the
States, including that of persons held to service. To avoid misconstruction
of what I have said, I depart from my purpose not to speak of particular amendments
so far as to say that, holding such a provision to now be implied constitutional
law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable."
–Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861
Thoughout his inaugural address, he indicated his intent to enforce the tariff
laws, but reinforced his intent NOT to interfere with slavery in the States
where it existed. From Paragraph 3:"I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution
of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to
do so, and I have no inclination to do so."
From Paragraph 4: "Resolved, That the maintenance inviolate of the rights
of the States, and especially the right of each State to order and control its
own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential
to that balance of power on which the perfection and endurance of our political
fabric depend; and we denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil
of any State or Territory, no matter what pretext, as among the gravest of crimes."Lincoln, in a letter to the abolitionist Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune,
writes:"If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the
same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in
this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy
slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it,
and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could
save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."
–Abraham Lincoln, Aug. 22, 1862 letter
These items above, Senator Johnson and Representative Williams, sort of shoot
down the guilt you imply current Georgians or the South should have for slavery.
Slavery alone did not cause The War Between the States. The Confederacy did
not invent slavery, nor did Georgia. In fact, at one point in our history there
were more slaves in Northern states than in the South. At the outbreak of War
Between the States, there were more free men of color in the South, than the
North. Efforts are regularly made to dispel the fact that around 80,000 black
people were involved with Confederate miliatry units, (We can proudly identify
them) while millions more at home were loyal to, and supportive of the Confederacy.
The 13th Amendment’s ratification following the war did resolve the question
of chattel slavery, and no Confedrate descendant has any argument with that.Don’t compromise a well intentioned bill to honor Confederate History and Heritage
with some nebulous attempt to place guilt and set up a precedent for reparations
on the people of Georgia. If you want an apology for slavery in Georgia, introduce
a bill to do that and let the chips fall where they may.Leave our bill on Confederate History and Heritage to the same fair outcome
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