Robert E Lee and Me by Ty Seidule

[Matt McKeon]

Colonel Seidule is most famous as the author of a Prager video in which he forthrightly declares that the South seceded to protect slavery. In this book, he describes his own upbringing in Alexandria, VA and Monroe, GA, in the 1970s, indoctrinated fully the Lost Cause narrative, and barely was aware of any alternative. He attended "seg" academies, private schools set up in the wake of Brown vs. the Board of Education to continue whites' only education. He attended Washington and Lee University, with the goal of becoming a "Southern Christian gentleman." like his hero: Robert E. Lee.

During his army career, as an armor officer, then West Point instructor he began to slowly change as he studied more history. He details the bases and facilities named for Confederate officers, to appease Southern politicians, linking these actions to any advance in civil rights.

He ends the book with a ringing condemnation of Lee for choosing the CSA over the US, as treason, as betrayal of his oath as a United States Army officer, and his embrace of horrible cause.

Very interesting take.

 

[jgoodguy]

Colonel Seidule is most famous as the author of a Prager video in which he forthrightly declares that the South seceded to protect slavery. In this book, he describes his own upbringing in Alexandria, VA and Monroe, GA, in the 1970s, indoctrinated fully the Lost Cause narrative, and barely was aware of any alternative. He attended "seg" academies, private schools set up in the wake of Brown vs. the Board of Education to continue whites' only education. He attended Washington and Lee University, with the goal of becoming a "Southern Christian gentleman." like his hero: Robert E. Lee.

During his army career, as an armor officer, then West Point instructor he began to slowly change as he studied more history. He details the bases and facilities named for Confederate officers, to appease Southern politicians, linking these actions to any advance in civil rights.

He ends the book with a ringing condemnation of Lee for choosing the CSA over the US, as treason, as betrayal of his oath as a United States Army officer, and his embrace of horrible cause.

Very interesting take.

A counterpoint would be that an early end to the Civil War with Union forces under Lee could have extended the life time of slavery decades or perhaps a century.

Otherwise Siedule makes powerful points.

 

[Joshism]

Colonel Seidule is most famous as the author of a Prager video in which he forthrightly declares that the South seceded to protect slavery.

That's not a take I would expect from PragerU.

 

[Matt McKeon]

That's not a take I would expect from PragerU.

That's what I thought as well. His historical thought and conclusions seems very different than what I associate with Prager. They might have been distracted by the uniform. Or maybe the centrality of slavery to the Civil War is compatible with the Prager World View.

 

[Joshism]

Or maybe the centrality of slavery to the Civil War is compatible with the Prager World View.

The "problem" with accepting the centrality of slavery to the ACW and the Confederacy is that means you're rejecting States Rights.

Similarly, an embrace of Lincoln for having the "Right" letter next to his name requires disingenuously ignoring that Abe was a fiscal liberal and social moderate-leaning-liberal, relatively speaking. I suppose that's consistent with D'Souza's nonsense too.

However, it puts them at odds with Libertarians who at least accurately recognize the 1860s Republicans as the party of big government (again, relative to the era) and hate them in a manner consistent with their worldview.

 

[Matt McKeon]

The "problem" with accepting the centrality of slavery to the ACW and the Confederacy is that means you're rejecting States Rights.

Similarly, an embrace of Lincoln for having the "Right" letter next to his name requires disingenuously ignoring that Abe was a fiscal liberal and social moderate-leaning-liberal, relatively speaking. I suppose that's consistent with D'Souza's nonsense too.

However, it puts them at odds with Libertarians who at least accurately recognize the 1860s Republicans as the party of big government (again, relative to the era) and hate them in a manner consistent with their worldview.

State's right to what exactly? Oh yeah, that.

Libertarians are the worst. Freeloaders.

I don't know much about Prager, to be honest, and am not keen to find out.