Republicans in South Carolina have introduced a piece of legislation that proposes the construction of a monument that would pay tribute to black men who served in the Confederate army, and their actions have drawn the ire of a prominent historian who calls their plans historically inaccurate and an attempt to pretend that African-Americans had rights in the Deep South.
The bill, which was originally proposed in April, reads in part:
“Whereas, all people should know of, and remember, African American Confederate soldiers who served South Carolina and the United States during the War Between the States and others, and it is in fact vital to educate our citizens on their stories during the war and afterwards; and
“Whereas, it is the policy of the State of South Carolina that the history of the African American Confederate soldiers, the depth of their impact in our society, and the triumphs of African American Confederate soldiers and their significant contributions to the development of this State and our nation is the proper concern of all people, particularly students enrolled in the schools of the State of South Carolina.”
But Kevin Levin, a Civil War historian, made it clear in a Twitter thread that the Republicans who have made the proposal for such a monument either don’t know the actual history of blacks in South Carolina at the time or are being willfully ignorant in an attempt to rewrite the real facts:
Republicans in South Carolina have proposed a bill to establish a monument to “Africa American Confederate Veterans” who served during the “War Between the States” on the State House grounds. The bill is filled with one historical inaccuracy after another.https://t.co/1o8Iv19rtu
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
They also plan to “develop workshops, institutes, seminars, and other teacher-training activities designed to educate teachers on this subject matter” Two of the sponsors, @BillChumleySC and Mike Burns, first called for the monument back in 2017. https://t.co/amWYR2en2Z
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
Part of the evidence the sponsors reference as justification for this monument are the “hundreds of still-living African American Confederate pensioners [who] drew pensions in relation to their service to our State” in the 1920s.
Five former Confederate states, including…
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
…South Carolina passed legislation in the 1920s expanding their pension program to include former slaves and some free blacks who performed various supporting roles during the war. The vast majority of these men were body servants or what I call in my book camp slaves.
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
The legislation passed in 1923 included…”such Negroes as were engaged for at least six months in the service of the State…as servants, cooks, and attendants on the side of the Confederacy.” I go into detail on all these pension programs in my book. https://t.co/yqbRtJwF14
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
As was the case in the other states, the amount of money earmarked for African Americans in SC paled in comparison with that for veterans. In 1924 the state appropriated $750,000 for soldiers and $3,000 for Black pensioners. Again, I include an entire chapter on this in the book.
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
For all the Republican talk about Critical Race Theory and teachers corrupting their students, this piece of legislation is truly laughable. It reveals no understanding of the history of slavery, the Civil War, and the Jim Crow South.
This is pure Lost Cause mythology.
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
Finally, it is worth pointing out that the two leaders of this bill, @BillChumleySC and Mike Burns, both voted against removing the Confederate battle flag on the State House grounds back in 2015.
I will leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. @SCGOP pic.twitter.com/Cz9W1zlJjE
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) May 14, 2021
Republican legislators in the Palmetto State are clearly in need of a long and painful history lesson. Provided, of course, they could put aside their own bigotry and idiocy long enough to actually learn something.