Historical Distortions
Commentary by Frank Gillispie
6/21/11
So a few brave historians have come forward to say that Sarah Palin was correct about her Paul Revere comments. I wonder if they would care to correct some of the other distortions of history that are being taught in our schools.
For example: It was NOT a Civil War! I challenge any of my readers to look up a proper definition of the term and show me how it applies to the War of 1861. The Federal records list the conflict as "The War of the Rebellion," and from the northern point of view, that is correct. Confederate records simply list it as "The War." The popular southern names for the conflict include The War Between the States, The War of Northern aggression or The War for Southern Independence. It was actually a tax war, just as was the American Revolution. Read Part VII of "For Good and Evil, the Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization," by Charles Adams.
At no time did the forces of the confederacy have any intention of conquering or controlling the Union government. They simply wanted to be left alone. The term, Civil War, was applied to the conflict by an incompetent journalist and adopted by northern journalists and politicians as a way to cover up the true purpose of the conflict.
President Lincoln did not invade the South to end slavery. He said so himself in his First Inaugural address. So add that to your reading list.
"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." —Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861, First Inaugural Address
Lincoln Mythology is Born – Steve Scroggins 3/04/11
The term "Separation of Church and State" is not in the United States Constitution. It was first found in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association when he assured them that "the First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state." Far too many people forget the second half of that amendment. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
These are just a few of the many distortions of history being used by so-called historians for the purpose of instilling social, religions and political dogmas in our nation. Perhaps you should take the advice of Benjamin Franklin and others who said in one form or another "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see."
The original documents that detail our history are easily available. If you have any questions about American History, I suggest you ignore the writings of journalism and academia and look it up for yourself.
Copyright © 2011 by Frank Gillispie
On The Web: http://georgiaheritagecouncil.org/site2/commentary/gillispie-historical-distortions062111.phtml
