Blog 11. CIVIL WAR essay

Civil War Blog

“Like the Rebels of Old, Still Bursting With Pride”

When I heard that people thought that the Civil War was still going on it sounded like a crazy idea. Right? But no. The Civil War is still going on because of two main reasons. After the war “ended,” the Democratic Party philosophy and beliefs was still expanding across the U.S, the Democrats had taken over Also there’s still so many discrimination, this issue occurred during the Civil War. Discrimination in present time is shown mostly in the south.

In a little town not that long ago, Freddie Morrow a black seventeen year old boy was convicted of killing Michael Waterman, a white nineteen year old man who carried a Confederate flag in the back of his red pick up truck. Tony Horwitz, an author, went to Michael’s hometown, Guthrie, to go deeper in this controversy, to go deep in their roots of both victims of this case.

Freddie Morrow was originally from Chicago; there he became known as the “bad boy” so his mom sent him to Guthrie with his relatives. At first, he stayed clear out of trouble, but soon enough he went back to his old ways. Freddie confess that he did not know what the confederate flag meant, all he knew was that it was a sign used in Dukes of Hazzard and something that blacks hated “The banner was simply something whites knew that blacks hated. The same goes for Michael, his wife stated in court why Michael had the flag in the back of his truck “It matched his truck and made it look sharp”

The day of the accident, Freddie was at a gas station with his friends when they noticed a red pick up truck with a confederate flag in the back, so they decided to follow the car. There were allegations that Michael had taunted them by saying racial slurs like “niggers” and that Michael had “reached out of the truck’s sliding back window and shook the rebel flag” Then Freddie pulled the trigger and shot Michael. Freddie was founded guilty of felony murder, attempted aggravated kidnapped, and civil-rights intimidation.

Michael had attended Todd Central High School where there mascot was a rebel. Inside the school there was an oversize mural with two “cartoonish” Confederates holding battle flags. “They make me so proud” said Frances Chapman, she led the petition drive for them to keep this ridiculous mascots. Why keep a symbol of slavery and discrimination? And not just as Mascot, but anywhere.

Before the accident occurred, during Martin Luther King’s birthday weekend, in a placed called Redbone’s Saloon, they celebrated “Thank God for James Earl Ray Party.” On in a Sunday morning after church, the KKK was actually recruiting people right outside. “I’ve had enough of those niggers telling us what to do”

In Michael and Freddie’s tragedy it shows a civil war related story about discrimination, Guthrie’s “white citizens” turn against their black neighbors. Things that weren’t suppose to be celebrated were celebrated (Martin Luther King’s. assassin was celebrated like a “KING”). KKK weren’t supposed to swarm the streets after Sunday’s church, and schools mascot shouldn’t represent slavery and discrimination. Another reason why the Civil War never really had its ending is because it never actually finished.

Democrats who were mostly retired Confederates took over the Government and corrupted the system. For example in the 15^th amendment, known as the third Reconstruction Amendment, it stated that it was prohibited to deny the right to vote to Men. This law was made to protect the rights of slaves and African American, but there were southerners and Democrats that found loop holes. They came up with literary test and other ridiculous excuses to deny the right for them to vote.

The Presidents have had a big role on all of this as well. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, during his term as president passed the 13^th amendment (First of the three Reconstruction Amendments) which prohibited slavery only in the case of punishment. Andrew Johnson, who took over presidency when Abraham was killed, is said to be one of the worst president. He passed the Black Codes, which are laws that control all aspects of African Americans rights (similar to the Jim Crow Laws). Do I need to explain why this is so wrong? Also he vetoes the first Civil Right Bill and was not passed until 1965. Another not so great president was Ulysses S. Grant. He was not very effective, he watched how the Democrats took over the south, and didn’t do anything to restore the power, and so the White League and Red Shirts decided to join the National Guard.

The Reconstruction Era in my opinion was the transitional period of the original Civil to the “war” we know now. Discrimination is the evidence that backs up this statement. Put all of this together and you’ll see that the war they though were “over” still to this day is alive.

Work Cited:

Horwitz, Tony. "Dying Gor Dixie". Confederates In The Attic. Pantheon, 1998.