Remember history, but
in places focused on history
Many may remember me as the fellow who wanted to remove the Confederate star that sits, by itself, in the most prominent position at the top of the word "Arkansas" on the state flag. I still want that star removed. I want the star representing the United States of America to be moved where the Confederate star now resides.
Charlottesville showed us how ugly we can be as Americans. There are groups in our society who are bigoted and filled with hate for anyone not considered a white person of European decent. These hate groups are using as a rallying cry efforts to block the removal of symbols of the Confederacy. However, their motives include much more. That fact was symbolized by their slogan in Charlottesville, "Let's take back America."
Because of these hate groups, our Confederate symbols are now a focal point. There are many defenders of those symbols as being part of our history. Some even say the Civil War did not start out as a slavery issue. Some people call the Civil War "the war of northern aggression." Those people are simply wrong. Slavery was most definitely the underlying issue in the Civil War. The Civil War was a rebellion of Southern states. The Confederacy was the initial aggressor when they fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The war was the single biggest tragedy in American history. It is estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 American men lost their lives in that ill-fated war. Those numbers would equate to between 6 million and 8 million in terms of today's population.
I am an amateur historian with ancestors in Arkansas dating to the 1830s. I am an author of a book on the Civil War in Northwest Arkansas. I agree the Civil War is part of our history. I believe that the soldiers who fought on both sides were courageous and gallant and should be remembered. They fought in horrific battles with tremendous loss of lives. Many of these men were fighting not for slavery, but because their friends and neighbors were part of the conflict and they felt compelled to join them. I think we should remember those men. However, I believe there is a proper way to go about it without glorifying the ill-fated rebellion of the Confederacy and the issue of slavery. There are state parks, Civil War cemeteries and museums where these men and their tremendous sacrifices can and should be remembered.
In today's world we are no longer isolated small communities who care not what the rest of the world thinks. We need to be setting an example. We need to silence the words and symbols of hate. In the interest of what is right and decent, I hope our elected officials will have the courage to make the right choices for our communities and our state.
Gary W. Johnson
Springdale
Commentary on 08/21/2017