Thursday, February 21, 2019

Drew Ferguson and the 1897 book on Robert E. Lee


There has been an issue with the presentation, in the office of Congressman Drew Ferguson, of a page in an 1897 biography of Robert E. Lee.
See for example
A Confederate book was open to a racist passage in a Georgia GOP congressman’s office. He blamed his staff.

One irony here is that the book, published in 1897 during the time of proliferation of the "Lost Cause" theme, was meant to paint Lee in a favorable light, and text from that particular page is frequently quoted to that end.

Another observation, not being discussed, is that the quote being referenced from that page, is from a letter by Lee to his wife in December 1856.

To see something that is more clearly racist, consider the slogan of Democrat nominee Seymour during the 1868 presidential campaign:

http://www.stephenlevin.nyc/home/2017/8/23/take-it-down

See also

Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters
By Elizabeth Brown Pryor, Robert Edward Lee

The page in question from the 1897 book:

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