In the ongoing war against Southern Confederate heritage, we need to be cognizant of the academic pressures against it. As y’all know, UNC Chapel Hill recently tore down Silent Sam. This is going on throughout all the great Southern schools.
As a professional scholar, I was a member of the Society for the Study of Southern Literature; the Southern Historical Society; and by invitation only, an original member of the Saint George Tucker Society. In terms of my scholarly work, I’m at the interstice between Southern Literature and Southern intellectual history. Hence my connections in both camps and with scholars and writers with interests in those two areas.
However, it must be said, that the American Historical Association is the most powerful, and most significant association for professional American historians, whatever their field. Be it Southern history, my favourite, or it be French (my second favourite), Central Asian, Russian, or Korean history. This is the parent organisation for ALL historians. The Organisation for American Historians, is the one that focuses entirely on American history.
After the Charlottesville Tragedy, the AHA posted their official statement. It was co-signed by numerous prestigious history associations which don’t necessarily have anything to do with Southern studies. But of course, my two old associations, the Society for the Study of Southern Literature, and the Southern Historical Association, were both signatures to this important academic document.
The American Historical Association subtly suggested a quiet way of uprooting the last vestige of the South’s Confederate heritage. Per contra, the Confederacy was not just a deplorable blip in the history of the American South. It was, indeed, the high tide of the old Southern civilisation. It was a Homeric epic in the history of the South. Be truly proud that your ancestors stood the test and fought for our South against all odds!
Even if we can temporarily keep certain Confederate memorials in place, we’re losing the final War of Southern Cultural Independence, because we have almost no control over Southern state, county, & municipal government. We have some, but, nevertheless, our political support is in decline, due to various factors, including the post-1945 Mass American culture rooted in Northern values.
This includes the major demographic changes in the South, which meant a massive invasion of Northerners to the South. En masse, they have no roots in the traditional South–nor desire any. Eventually, many of these successful carpetbaggers now control Southern political, cultural, media, business, & academic power. Of course, they are aided and abetted by contemporary Scalawags, as well as culturally deracinated Southerners, blood of our blood.
Sadly, the multitude of new immigrants & their descendants from non-Western countries coming to a new prosperous South, are not receiving any education in the beautiful culture of the Traditional South. They are absolutely contributing in many areas to a new prosperous South. This New South, the Sunbelt South–devoid of history & culture.
Moreover, it adds to our Southern heritage preservation problem, which is not the fault of these new immigrants, my family are amongst them. Their children aren’t learning about the South in school any better than their classmates whose ancestors fought for the Confederacy.
We’ve lost, if we have no control over our hostile judiciary. We’ve lost, if we don’t have control over our own media. We’ve lost, forever & forever & for all time, if we don’t have control over our Southern educational system. Totalitarian dictatorships focus on destroying every vestige of the Ancien Régime & to indoctrinate the youth for their dystopic Brave New World.
Twenty-three years ago, I was invited to give a talk on the topic of Marse Robert & the Virginia Gentleman at UVA. I was paid a handsome honorarium of $1,000. Yes, there were some smirking academics in the audience who said nasty things; but I got a big applause from the UVA students. I would never be invited now. Nor would be any of you all. And even if I were to be re-invited by some hearty student group, the current UVA students would mob me.
Please read the AHA statement very carefully. Although moderate sounding, there’s no mistake about what they really think about preserving our Confederate heritage as it should be–from the point of view of the traditional South. Your kin, your children, your grandchildren, are growing up with this poisonous hatred for our traditional Southern heritage.
What is to be done? This requires a massive pan-southern approach organised by the last generation of thoughtful & concerned Southern patriots–otherwise, we shall be ultimately defeated. Perish the thought! Remember the words of JEB Stuart who said he’d “rather die” than live to see the Southern defeat. At Yellow Tavern, in 1864, he had his wish fulfilled. God Bless JEB Stuart, the grand beau sabre par excellence of Dixie!
In my next News Digest, which I’ll send over the week-end, I suggest that we make contact with other traditional Americans outside the South. Western culture is being attacked everywhere. What is ultimately under attack by the Secular American Left and the powerful Race Card Lobby is the Western European Christian culture of America–which is our Southern foundation, no matter where our ancestors came from.
I don’t use easily use in a negative way the term “Left”, since I’m a Bohemian Tory. I’m open-minded, and there are things that leftists favour, which I agree with. Nonetheless, I’m a devoted son of Western Culture, as well as a Southerner.
What do you all think about this AHA statement? Remember, the AHA is the dominant association for all historians in every field working, teaching, and researching in our divided States of 2019.
Compatriots, we are not far away, in America, from Orwell’s 1984.
