The Jackson City Council has voted 5-1 to remove the Andrew Jackson statue from the front of the City Hall. But why stop there? What about the name of our city? By the same reasoning that name should also be offensive. Our city was named after Andrew Jackson, a hero from the Battle of New Orleans where he defeated the British in 1815. However, he was also a slave owner as were many of his contemporaries -- more on that later. Then, what about our currency? I have a picture of Andrew Jackson on a $20 bill in my wallet. Should that be offensive as well? If anyone finds it so, send your bill to me. I would be quite willing to solve your problem. The same with all the other bills containing pictures of early American presidents. Where will all this silliness end?
Statues of early Americans all over the country are being threatened. It started with opposition to Confederate characters -- those supposedly who owned or supported slavery. But the Union leaders were hardly "saints" themselves. One of the most successful Union generals was William T. Sherman. He destroyed and burned Meridian in the dead of winter leaving hardly anywhere for stranded citizens to live and feed. His rapid raids were conducted with the minimum of supplies relying rather on pillaging, and destroying "corn not wanted." He is quoted as saying: "the only good Indian is a dead Indian." Thus bad actions were made by both sides.
Slavery is a bad stain on mankind's history. It goes back to the earliest times. The Bible records the slavery of the Jewish people by the Egyptians at the time of the building of the pyramids. The Romans enslaved many of the people in countries they occupied. The apostle Paul contemporaneously admonished "Masters (to) provide your slaves with what is right and fair." (Colossians 4:1.) Slavery continued as a common practice until modern times. Indentured servants were essentially white slaves. Methinks George Washington treated his slaves with what was "right and fair." I've read that he had mixed feelings on his ownership.
I have visited the old slave market in Savannah, Georgia. Centuries ago native Africans sold their distant neighbors to slave ship owners, who then transported them to many places including Savannah. From there, they were sold to Americans. This practice was eventually opposed by many people, prominently Christians. Most of you know of the converted slave ship owner John Newton who wrote "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me..."
But back to today's threats. The activists have broadened their threats to statues of almost any of our historical characters. These rioters have defaced and sometimes toppled statues of even those who opposed slavery --Ulysses S. Grant being one. They oppose the stunning new Broadway musical Alexander Hamilton. Anything connected to our history must be erased by these hooligans. I agree with Ashby Foote, the one dissenter in Jackson's City Council, who said: "We need to understand our history, not tear it down."
Peter Gilderson, Madison
