To the editor:
In this climate today of “fake news,” I am disturbed by some articles in your opinion page of the Daily Journal.
Opinions are like belly buttons, every body has one. Opinions are fine as long as that is what it is.
However, when you publish articles by people in your opinion page and they report things as “fact” and are in deed not true, you are contributing to “fake news!” That is not good journalism. For example, your published opinion article by Thomas Blake countering some comments made in a previously printed opinion by a Mr. Brown. See the real facts below:
MYTH: Only Southerners owned slaves.
FACT: Entirely untrue. Many Northern civilians owned slaves. Prior to, during and even after the War of Northern Aggression.
Surprisingly, to many history impaired individuals, most Union Generals and staff had slaves to serve them! William T. Sherman had many slaves that served him until well after the war was over and did not free them until late in 1865.
Ulysses S. Grant also had several slaves who were only freed after the 13th amendment in December of 1865.
Contrarily, Confederate General Robert E. Lee freed his slaves (which he never purchased — they were inherited) in 1862! Lee freed his slaves several years before the war was over, and considerably earlier than his Northern counterparts. And during the fierce early days of the war, when the South was obliterating the Yankee armies!
Lastly, and most importantly, why did northern states outlaw slavery only after the war was over? The so-called “Emancipation Proclamation” of Lincoln only gave freedom to slaves in the south, not in the north! This even went so far as to find the state of Delaware rejecting the 13th Amendment in December of 1865 and did not ratify it (13th Amendment/free the slaves) until Feb. 12, 1901.
Too many people today are trying to rewrite history to fit into their own beliefs of how it “should have been.” We learn from history, but first the history lesson must be true and not have parts omitted or falsely stated because of inconvenient truths.
John Jefferson
Greenwood
