| I wanted to quell some myth's about the "American | | | | Conneticut. More information on this area includes |
| Civil War". The first myth is concerning the | | | | that two abolitionist's aided in running this mill, it's |
| Confederate Flags utilized during the Civil War. One | | | | obvious they did not mix business with their politics. |
| particular flag was utilized as a battle flag nicknamed | | | | Most of the abolutiionist's from the Civil War Era |
| "The Southern Cross". Many view this flag as a form | | | | were hypocrites, owning slaves but yet standing on |
| of racism, but it was not fashioned out of racism. | | | | many soapboxes and denouncing slavery, this was |
| This flag unfortunately has been adapted by many | | | | hypocritical. Benjamin Franklin who was once an |
| hate groups but the origins of this flag represented | | | | indentured servant was later found to be a slave |
| solidity as well as bravery, and in no form or fashion | | | | holder. I would also recommend everyone read "New |
| was utilized to show the South's love for racism. | | | | York Burning", by Jill Lepore, this book uncovers the |
| This "Southern Cross" shows the cross of St. | | | | truth about the fires of New York City in 1741. The |
| Andrew whom was crucified. Due to a large degree | | | | fires were alleged to be a slave rebellion and 30 |
| of Scottish/Irish ancestry within the South during that | | | | slaves were executed. |
| era, this cross was recognized as such. The stars | | | | Why do people believe slaves were not patriotic? |
| represented the eleven states within the | | | | Southern Blacks felt patriotism same as the Southern |
| Confederacy, plus Missouri and Kentucky. General | | | | Whites. Even though they were not citizens, slaves |
| P.G.T Beaurigard proposed utilizing this flag for the | | | | still thought of themseves as such. Yes there were |
| "battle flag" of the Confederacy. The flag "Stars and | | | | slaves that ran and joined the Northern Lines as they |
| Stripes" was also utilized as a battle flag for the | | | | marched through Southern towns but this is what |
| Confederacy. There was indeed no uniformed flag | | | | they ran to. The North considered these fugitives |
| utilized by the Confederacy, hence quashing the | | | | "contraband", the North was faced with not knowing |
| myth's that the " Southern Cross" was the "main" | | | | whether to return them to the fields or give them |
| flag. The South did not have the industrial strength of | | | | guns, they did eventually wise up and utilize the |
| the North, flags more times to none were indeed | | | | Southern Black fugitives as messengers as well as |
| different, the South made the flags as close as they | | | | spies. Southern Black fugitives were not trusted at |
| could but with scarce resources, no uniformity of | | | | first by the Union, they were faced with being |
| flags were utilized. | | | | labeled traitors and treated as such. If they ran from |
| Another myth about this war is that it began due to | | | | the South, what would stop them from doing so to |
| slavery. This is absolutely false. The Civil War was | | | | the North? This was the mentality of the Union. |
| fought due to recession of the states. I also want to | | | | The Civil War was not a war in which the North |
| add that the South was not the only part of the | | | | embarked on because of a "mission" to free the |
| United States utilizing slaves. There were slave | | | | slaves. This was a war for democracy. The truth is |
| plantations found within the North as well as Slaves | | | | that no white man/woman freed the slaves, they |
| rebelling upending the notion that slavery was a | | | | freed themselves as in rebelling against their masters |
| "Southern Thing". In 1641 Massachusetts became the | | | | in the South as well as the North. They made |
| first colony to recognize slavery by statute. There | | | | themselves assets to the military, they pushed for |
| was also a ship that sailed out of Boston four years | | | | their own Emancipation. Abraham Lincoln did sign the |
| later embarking on a slave voyage to Africa with | | | | "Proclamation Emancipation" but it was a useless |
| stopping in England. By the late 1700s tens of | | | | document in the eyes of the Southerners as well as |
| thousands of Africans were living as slaves in the | | | | the Northerners who still owned slaves. What truly |
| North. | | | | freed the slaves was their own persistence as well |
| I am not disputing the fact that slavery was more | | | | as their willpower to be free. |
| rampant within the South, but for people to state | | | | There were Black Southern units. Free men as well |
| the North fought for the end of slavery during this | | | | as slaves formed these units. They were ready to |
| era is ludicrous, due to the fact, they owned slaves. | | | | shed blood for the defense of what they called |
| Slavery began in the North. The South had "cotton | | | | home. One black soldier was quoted "Pardon me |
| pickers", the North had what is called "cotton | | | | General, but the only cowardly blood we have got in |
| spinners", people labeled these job titles were slaves. | | | | our veins is the white blood". |
| A great book I would suggest all read in reference to | | | | General Forest had slaves and free men serving in his |
| this topic is called "Complicity: How the North | | | | units. He stated of these men that they stayed with |
| Promoted and Prolonged and Profited from Slavery." | | | | him and better Confederates did not live. Stonewall |
| This book was written by Anne Farrow, Joel Lang | | | | Jackson had 3,000 fully equipped black troops whom |
| and Jennifer Frank Ballantine. This book exposes the | | | | fought with him at Antietam. There were |
| discovery of 5,000 slaves in Connecticut the year | | | | 60,000-93,000 blacks whom did serve the |
| before the Revolutionary War. Rhode Island shipped | | | | Confederacy, hoping their future was going to be |
| nearly 50,000 slaves in less than twenty years, in | | | | better as well as rewarded. |
| fact, the Narragansett Plantation area matched the | | | | Why do people view Abraham Lincoln as a saint for |
| plantations of Virginia in acreage as well as number of | | | | the slaves? Abraham Lincoln was quoted "I will say, |
| slaves. | | | | then, that I am not, not have I ever been in favor of |
| Ivoryton was the home of a international center for | | | | bringing about in any ways the social and political |
| milling elephant tusks. Guess who performed the | | | | equality of the white and black races....I am in favor |
| work at this mill? Enslaved Africans whom were | | | | of having the superior position assigned to the white |
| forced to carry tusks for hundreds of miles to the | | | | race". |
| coast so they could be shipped to Deep River | | | | |