Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
The Trump administration has fledged an all-out campaign of erasing and rewriting history it finds contrary to the notion that the American people of English/Northern European descent are infallible. Having just read, “The Myth of the Lost Cause,” by military historian Edward Bonekemper, it is clear false historical revisions are nothing new. The myth assumes slaves were content and secession had nothing to do with slavery or white supremacy — only states’ rights. The overwhelming documentation from each state’s secession declarations, and the speeches/letters of secessionist commissions sent to other states to entice secession, make it 100% clear that slavery and white supremacy were the core issues.
Here’s an idea: Learn about inhumane acts of the past so that we do not repeat such atrocities in the future, and accept that everyone, regardless of race, creed or gender, has unalienable rights to pursuit of happiness. Long live democracy.
Patrick Caldwell
Kailua
EXPRESS YOURSELF
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.
>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 210 Honolulu, HI 96813
>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), 529-4750 (fax), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter