BLOG, or DIE. Author Bio
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Why I choose to celebrate Lee-Jackson Day (a response)

The other day another blogger (you can guess who) posted: “The reason I don’t celebrate Lee-Jackson Day is because I don’t celebrate the cause for which Lee and Jackson are remembered.  They are remembered for their service in an army that functioned as the military extension of a government that was committed to perpetuating slavery and white supremacy.  I find it simply impossible to distinguish between the individuals in question, including their many virtues, and the cause for which they attached themselves to.”

Personally, I find that to be a tremendously over-simplistic view. It’s not called “Confederacy Day,” it’s called “Lee-Jackson Day” and both of these gentlemen are remembered for many reasons. Isn’t Thomas Jackson’s pre-war contributions to the Presbyterian Church, as well as Robert E. Lee’s post-war tenure as president of Washington College worthy of our praise beyond their quote: “service in an army that functioned as the military extension of a government that was committed to perpetuating slavery and white supremacy”?

Of course it is. Why? Because the Civil War does not entirely define them. Ironically, this blogger and his peers often argue that the history of the South should not be limited to the four years of the Civil War. So…in their own hypocritical point of view, the South should not be judged through such a narrow focus, but those who participated in a war on its behalf should. (Do these people ever go back and re-read what they’ve posted in the past? They counter their own arguments.)

Now it is perfectly acceptable that this blogger chooses not to acknowledge Lee-Jackson Day, but according to his logic, we shouldn’t celebrate the legacies of any historically significant, slave-owning “white supremacists” including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and most of their peers, because they also perpetuated slavery and white supremacy. Once again, that over-simplistic viewpoint requires a narrow-focus indeed. How convenient.

So what is my point? My point is that most people today are completely OK with these guys being among many things, racists, because they are able to distinguish the reasons why we should admire them, from the ones we should condemn. Our nation’s entire culture, from the portraits on our currency and most magnificent monuments - to our national holidays and children’s history lessons - celebrate imperfect, racially biased white men just like Jackson and Lee. If we all found it quote: “simply impossible to distinguish between the individuals in question, including their many virtues, and the cause for which they attached themselves to” we would more than likely be left without any historical heroes. How sad.

My response to this blogger is simply this...I believe that the majority of every-day Americans are intelligent and mature enough to determine that our times are very different from our forefathers and to always take that into consideration when acknowledging the past. It doesn’t make someone a racist if they admire these men and it doesn’t mean that they support every quote: “cause for which they attached themselves to.”

As usual this blogger is talking out of both sides of his mouth, but I guess we are not as smart as he is. That must be why I choose to celebrate Lee-Jackson Day.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 10:22 AM EST
Updated: Tuesday, 26 January 2010 10:24 AM EST
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Saturday, 23 January 2010
TNH visit's Spotsy earthworks

 

Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 3:56 PM EST
Updated: Thursday, 11 February 2010 10:40 PM EST
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Friday, 22 January 2010
About the Author

As an award-winning and best-selling author, Michael Aubrecht has dedicated his studies to the histories of Major League Baseball, the Civil War and the Founding Fathers. He has written multiple books, as well as hundreds of essays for magazines, newspapers and journals including Baseball-Almanac, Civil War Historian, Patriots of the American Revolution, Pop Flies, Drumhead Magazine, The Badge and The Free Lance-Star. Michael is also the personal copywriter for the classic American painter Mort Kunstler. By day Michael works for the U.S. Marshals Service in the Investigative Operations Division.

Michael is a filmmaker and co-wrote and produced the dramatic documentary The Angel of Marye's Heights (scene sample here). He previously hosted "The Naked Historian", a casual YouTube video series introducing viewers to little-known historical sites in the Fredericksburg area. A battlefield tour guide, frequent speaker and radio guest, Michael is the former chairman of the National Civil War Life Foundation and the founder of All-Access Battlefield Tours and The Jefferson Project.

Michael is also an experienced musician and has performed at such events as the Mellon Jazz Festival and National Band Competition in Nashville, TN. Long before he became a writer, Michael played drums in the marching band, symphonic band, choir pit, stage band and percussion ensemble. Today he plays a variety of classic American music styles, favoring swing and big band music. Michael also co-developed a unique percussion theory program for children ages 5-10 known as “FUNdamentals” with his co-author, noted recording and touring drummer Rich Redmond, best known for his work with the Jason Aldean band. 

 

Books by Michael Aubrecht:
Buy
Michael's books and DVDs on Amazon. 

FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids (w/ Rich Redmond, Publisher TBD)

Baseball's Could Have Beens: Major League Mishaps, Misfortunes, and Mistakes (w/ Eric Wittenberg, Kent State University Press, 2014)

You Stink! Major League Baseball’s Terrible Teams and Pathetic Players (w/ Eric Wittenberg, Kent State University Press, 2012)

The Civil War in Spotsylvania: Campfires at the Crossroads (The History Press, 2009)

Historic Churches of Fredericksburg: Houses of the Holy (The History Press 2008)

The Southern Cross: A Civil War Devotional (Patriot Press, 2008)

Onward Christian Soldier: The Spiritual Journey of Stonewall (Publish America, 2005)

Christian Cavalier: The Spiritual Legacy of J.E.B. Stuart (Publish America, 2005)

Faith and Freedom in Fredericksburg: Jefferson and the VA Statute of Religious Freedom (manuscript IP)

Some past presentations (click for transcripts or video):

 

Backyard History: Forgotten Sites of Lee’s Hill (Lee’s Hill ‘55 Club)
Community Lecture Series: Fredericksburg’s Churches (SPC Church)
Richard R. Kirkland “The Angel of Marye’s Heights” (F'burg Civil War Roundtable)
Lunchtime Lecture: The Great Revival During the Civil War (Manassas Museum)
Historical Research and Writing (Maury Commons Heritage Center)
Race and Remembrance at F'burg’s Baptist Churches (Manassas Museum)
Historical Research and Writing Tips for All Genres (Pittsburgh Writer’s Project)
Jackson’s Journey: Stonewall’s 1862 Valley Campaign (CWHC Muster Banquet)
The Mother of the Father of Our County, Mary Washington (VAFB  Conference)
Gallant Boys in Blue: The 123rd PA Volunteer Infantry (Carnegie Library Hall)
The Espy Post and the Importance of Civil War Memory (Carnegie Library Hall)
The Great Revival St. George’s Episcopal Church (St. George’s Civil War Series)
Battle of Spotsylvania: In Their Words (Richmond Civil War Roundtable)


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 11:48 AM EST
Updated: Monday, 4 March 2013 8:38 AM EST
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Thursday, 21 January 2010
Honoring Lee at the Capitol

Last weekend some good friends of mine from Lee’s Lieutenants participated in a very special ceremony at the U.S. Capitol commemorating Robert E. Lee’s birthday. Al Stone portrayed the guest of honor and members of his staff accompanied him. The observance was organized by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (District of Columbia Division) and featured a salute to the CSA flag, the singing of “Dixie,” a wreath placement at the statue of Gen. Lee, and a guest speaker.

Of course there were some folks who took offense, but I applaud the conviction of the organizers as well as the government officials who authorized this event. One article stated that Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was the one who OK’d it, yet another piece said that the UDC had been doing this since 1909.

I find it incredibly offensive that people continue to argue against any commemoration of this sort in the same week as Martin Luther King Day. In Virginia, Lee-Jackson Day is now held on the Friday before MLK Day and the fact that Lee and King’s birthdays are a mere 4 days apart is the cause for the “crossover.” It is NOT what one poorly-informed critic called “an annual event that normally attracts a number of white supremacists and neo-Nazis, meant to slight the memory of Dr. King.” On the other side of extremism, I have read people complain about honoring our greatest civil rights leader and refer to him as “a domestic terrorist and an architect of insurrection.” These types of ignorant assertions are ridiculous and soley meant to instigate.

I firmly believe that BOTH of these tremendous individuals deserve our gratitude and acknowledgement - and what better sign of equality than to celebrate them equally? If either of these great men were around today, they would frown upon these blanket criticisms and tell us all to get along.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 3:06 PM EST
Updated: Friday, 22 January 2010 10:41 AM EST
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Sunday, 17 January 2010
Take a chance

At the risk of sounding boastful, I wanted to share an excerpt from a wonderful email that I received today. I am posting this to show my comrades that one can indeed step completely out of their comfort zone and not only have that decision validated, but also have it lead to new things. (Some of you have emailed me in private saying that you too are thinking about making a change. Today I say do it!) 

A few weeks ago I had announced my decision to move my focus from the American Civil War to the Revolution. This was a big risk for me as I had published zero material on the subject, nor had I any working-relationships in that genre. In fact, the closest I had come to formally writing about America's fight for independence was the origin studies that I included in my book on Fredericksburg's historic churches. As I stated in my post, I was essentially starting over as I had no credibility, no experience, and no connections in this period of study. My plan (which I have been following) was to simply immerse myself in the subject matter.

A generous editor from Three Patriots Publishing named Benjamin Smith extended an open invitation for me to submit something for Patriots of the American Revolution. I decided to take him up on his offer and penned a 7-page feature on race and remembrance at Monticello. I also introduced Ben to Eric Wittenberg who has quickly taken a very active role in PAR as their new book review editor.

After Ben sent me a PDF of the finished Monticello article I was fairly pleased, but still nervous about what readers would think. I likened this feeling to the first time I ever submitted an article, a combination of anxiousness and nausea. For the last week or so, I've been cringing at the thought of my first offering being panned. Perhaps I had made a mistake. Maybe I should have stayed in my comfort zone after all?

Well...this weekend I received both my complimentary PAR copies and a congratulatory email (below) from noted historian and writer Hugh Harrington. Hugh and I share publishers and I loved his book on the Civil War in Milledgeville. He too had been a contributor to PAR and his words filled me with a great sense of relief. They also initiated a new friendship that will continue to grow as he, Eric, and I continue to grow - not only in this new genre and in the pages of Patriots of the American Revolution - but also as students of America's fight for liberty and freedom. Change is good.

...As for your article. The first thing I have to say is your photography is outstanding. The article is perfect. Not so deep that people get bogged down but not fluff, either...You cite sources (I don't read articles without sources/footnotes) and tell a compelling story. In fact, it would be hard to read - and look at your photos - and be anywhere near Monticello and not drive over to go over the ground in person. Well done, Sir! I hope to see you again in the Patriots and elsewhere - perhaps even in person. Best regards, Hugh T. Harrington


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 3:42 PM EST
Updated: Sunday, 17 January 2010 3:43 PM EST
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