Ken Burns' "Congress"

Oregon Magazine ^ | June 1, 2003 | Larry Leonard

[WaterDragon]

May 26, 2003, 9:00 PM --The most powerful accomplishment of tonight's segment of the PBS program, Ken Burns' "Congress," is that Mr. Burns managed to describe the period of official racism in America from just prior to the Civil War to the post-Reconstruction era, without once identifying a pro-slavery congressman or senator as a Democrat.

When the Republicans outlawed slavery (which is exactly what actually happened), guess who walked out of the House and the Senate.

Their party begins with the letter "D."

Guess who after the Civil War worked to disembowell the black franchise. You have it. The same bunch.

Not once did Mr. Burns use the terms anti-slavery congressman or senator, then follow it with the word Republican....(SNIP)

Click HERE For Complete Article.

[TedsGarage]

I've tried to explain to this board. Throughout American history, there have been two parties, a Northern Party and a Southern Party. This goes all the way back to the rivalry between Adams and Jefferson. During Reconstruction, the Republicans were the Northern Party and the Democrats were the Southern Party. They've switched regions since then. Yesterday's Dixiecrats -- Strom Thurmond, Trent Lott, Tom DeLay -- have become today's Republican leaders. The so-called Party of Lincoln scarcely exists anymore (although a few of us in Illinois are trying to keep it alive.)

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[the_Watchman]

You can "explain" that until you're blue in the face. However, you'll have to apologize to Everett Dirksen [former Senator from Illinois], Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, . . . You know, all those "southern" leaders.

[bonesmccoy]

I'd like to point out that those great Presidents were from SOUTHERN California!

Yiiiii'haaaaa!

Whittier, California!
Population 15000!

WAaaaaaAAhoooo!

[the_Watchman]

You're right! Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon were from Southern California! :)

To an extent the original poster is correct based on southern party switches that occurred since the 1960's. Those switches certainly blur the issue of which party voted in the civil rights legislation of 1964, since a lot of the Democratic opposition did later leave the party.

However, I wouldn't portray the Republican party as controlled by southern politicians.

[Sonny M]

Those switches certainly blur the issue of which party voted in the civil rights legislation of 1964, since a lot of the Democratic opposition did later leave the party.

The biggest claim from revisionists is that the old democratic party, which had racists and such left and became republicans. Every lefty teacher I had in college used to argue this, that the "bad democrats" left and joined the republican party.

However, it seems that people like Byrd and Hollins never seemed to have gotten that memo.

[JNB]

Ironically Speaker Hasert is from IL.

[onyx]

Who the hell is Ken Burns, and who cares?

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

It is also an unknown fact that the Republicans are the unsung heroes of the Civil Right Act of 64. Only 60% of Democrats supported the bill compared to an overwhelming 80% of Republicans. President Johnson was even quoted as saying that the bill passed due to "overwhelming support by Republicans" and said nothing positive about Democrats. In addition, Andrew Young, a leading Civil Rights activist in the 60's wrote that it was the Republican Supreme Court appointees of Republican President Dwight David Eisenhower who were the unsung heroes as well because they upheld all of the laws that racist Democrats tried to overturn.

CORAD on Affirmative Action

[WaterDragon]

Good info!

[WaterDragon]

Well, it might be important to know how the liberals sneakily try to shape people's understanding of history so that we good conservatives leap in to correct their phony-balony propaganda.

[onyx]

WHO is Ken Burns?

[bonesmccoy]

Every good President in the last 40 years came from GOP roots in Orange County or around it.

Richard Nixon (Whittier) (Hey, Alger Hiss fans... Nixon was right!)
Gerry Ford (Palm Springs)
Ronald W. Reagan (Los Angeles/Orange County)

next one???

[bruinbirdman]

"The biggest claim from revisionists"

Republicans were responsible for the 1964 civil rights bill so many of the racist democrats switched parties. A hard sell or an easy sell to dope smoking skulls full of mush?

yitbos

[Sonny M]

When teachers lie to kids over and over again, the big lie theory comes to play. Its very very rare, for a teacher to say the democratic party in terms of the civil war or segregation or such, though I have had teachers say "democratic party, but not the one today" in class, which was just basically lying.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

However, it seems that people like Byrd and Hollins never seemed to have gotten that memo

Oh they got the memo they knew they couldnt hide their wide open past so they figured they might as well push the same old schtick.