GDG- NPS & slavery

[John Lawrence]

Hard to ignore the slave quarters behind the big house isn't it?
Regards,
Jack


ATMackeyJr at aol.com wrote:

>Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>Someone's purpose in touring Arlington would be determined, in many cases,  
>by historical ignorance, no?  With apologies to Rummy, we don't know what  
>we don't know.  Arlington was the home of quite a number of enslaved  
>Americans.  In my opinion, it's only decent to tell their story as part of  the 
>story of the whole plantation/cemetery.
> 
>Best Regards,
>Al Mackey
> 
> 
>In a message dated 1/2/2012 6:42:06 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
>CWMHTours at aol.com writes:
>
>Esteemed  GDG Member Contributes:
>My issue is simple-  you have some  250,000-300,000 people  buried in Arl 
>Cem.
>
>Some of them did  things far more important worth mentioning  that aren't 
>where as some  slavery related issues are,  "over  emphasized".
>
>In 20 years  I've never met or heard of anyone going to Arl Cem  to learn 
>about  slavery.
>
>It has it's place.  But not beyond the proportion to  the  population.  
>
>G. Washington owned most of Arlington Cnty  and much of the  rest of No. VA 
> 
>I wudda liked to have heard him  talked about him a lot more  and his 
>grandson who built the  mansion.
>
>That's all.  In analogy to the Gtysbg V.C. I think it  is  exaggerated far 
>beyond it's importance and  relevence.
>
>Your  Most Obedient Servant,
>Peter
>
>
>
>In  a message dated 1/2/2012 6:32:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,   
>jlawrence at kc.rr.com writes:
>
>Esteemed  GDG Member  Contributes:
>Well,
>
>You know, when there are slave  quarters  behind the Lee mansion in 
>Arligton 
>and the two slain Kennedy   brotheres (both strong civil rights advocates) 
>are 
>buried there, I do  not  see your issue.
>
>Regards,
>
>Jack
>
>My favorite  historical site  at Arlington is in the back. The Confederate  
>memorial (the one that the  SCV claims shows armed slaves fighting  for the 
>south but really does not)  is in the back with the  Confederate graves. 
>right 
>outside the gravel  maintenance parking  lot. And behind the USCT burial 
>sites.
>
>Seems  kind of  appropriate.
>
>HOOK.
>
>----- Original Message -----  
>From:  <CWMHTours at aol.com>
>To:  <gettysburg at arthes.com>
>Sent:  Monday, January 02, 2012 4:45  PM
>Subject: GDG- NPS &  slavery
>
>
>> Esteemed GDG Member  Contributes:
>>  RE:  The emphasize on slavery and emancipation  at   battlefields sites 
>it 
>> is
>> not just the   battlefields.
>>
>> In 1992 I began as a tourguide working as  a  narrator on the  Tourmobile
>> Trams in Wash, DC.   There was,  to me anyway, a rather bizarre 
>> over-emphasis  on
>> slavery on  the tours.
>>
>> In particular Arlington  Cemetery demanded that in  our "script"  that we
>> make "X"  number of references to slavery  and   African-Americans.
>>
>> Tourmobile was a contracted  service  vendor to the NPS which  dictated 
>the
>> content of T's   tours.
>>
>> I really have no objection at all to making  such   references.  But
>> currently Afro-African  Americans are 10%-15% of  the  population and 
>they 
>>  deserve
>> appropriate  attention.
>>
>> But if you ask me  I think the proportion was way  out of whack  when it 
>>  came
>> to the issue.
>>
>>  And most citizens know almost  nothing of the history of the  cemetery  
>and
>> the  plantation.
>>
>> I am convinced IMO that there was  less  emphasis on George  Washington, 
>for
>> example, and his   descendents there that there should have  been while 
>>   slave
>> and African-Americans were  over-emphasized.
>>
>>  There were plenty of other things there  that could have been   
>mentioned.
>> Had not slavery and A-A's  been emphasized I think all  things  
>considered 
>>  much
>> more important stuff was omitted  while we talked about  slavery  and 
>A-A's.
>> Take the issue of race  out of it  and they were topics far less  
>important
>> than other   things.
>>
>> I can't imagine how many people visit Arl Cem for  a  dose of  slave 
>history
>> but it must be  practically  none.
>>
>> Where the motivation for this emphasis  comes from I  don't  know.  But 
>then
>> again I have  learned to be no admirer  of the  NPS.
>>
>> I have never  been in the VC at Gtysbg.   I have heard  about the 
>emphasis  
>> on
>> slavery in there and  have avoided the  place.
>>
>> Who in their right mind comes to  Gettysburg to  learn about  slavery?
>>
>> Your  Most  Obedient  Servant,
>> Peter
>>   
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