We have and will always maintain a deep-rooted sense of pride in the south. What we are accustomed to, whether it’s our traditions or lifestyle choices, are commonly passed along as generational standards. Those of us in this special generation see things in a different light. Although we gave way to most bigoted views that our (confederate) forefathers shared, to some degree we still portray those views. A common way of keeping yesterday’s culture alive is by appreciating its relics and celebrating the symbolism of the past. When traveling around the south, the fossils of yesterday are still visible if not preserved. What we tend to mistake for beauty is usually more synonymous with tastelessness or vulgarity. We see a majestic antebellum home, with ivory pillars, immense shutters, and land as far as you can see… Regal Magnolia trees, enchanting Spanish moss, and slow-moving waterways scour the land, making it seem like a fantasy. Still, this beautiful home that is cherished to this day was actually a much different place in a past life. This home was a plantation.
A plantation by definition is a large piece of land usually in a tropical or semitropical area where one crop is specifically planted for widespread commercial sale and usually tended by resident laborers. Although a plantation by definition seems like the perfect composition for harvesting goods and creating commerce, the southern business model played to a much a sadder tune. Slaves were the gears that ran this all-too-well functioning machine. These people came in as supplies to aid in the exploitation of natural goods. There are 100+ plantations in Louisiana listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of which followed the law of the land; slaves were to be utilized for the good of the business. As we appreciate these structures today, we don’t necessarily rejoice with slavery, we don’t even have to agree with it, but by celebrating its relics we are essentially supporting the slavers.
Let’s pretend for a moment that you are in post-Nazi Germany. Have the concentration camps become a place of celebration and identity? Not exactly, most concentration camps are memorials, dedicated to the memory of those whose lives were taken away from them while present in those facilities. Dachau, the first concentration camp, was preserved to be a memorial to the prisoners. When touring Dachau, you are shown the atrocities that prisoners had to face while living in a world where they were seen to be subordinate human beings, if considered to be humans at all.
Most plantation homes that I visited in my home state fail to mention it’s original owner’s wrongdoings. They tend to utilize the scenery to beautify the place, giving it a label of perfection. Unscathed. Belle Grove plantation, arguably the largest plantation in the South, boasts on its historical marker “One of the grandest plantation mansions ever built in Louisiana, Belle Grove was built at the pinnacle of prosperity during the 1850s sugar boom, in the South,” while the website marquees at the bottom of the page has “read wonderful stories about her past, join the Belle Grove Discussion Group.” There would be no “sugar boom” if it wasn’t for slavery. There would be no “sugar boom” if it wasn’t for the 1850 fugitive slave act, which even caused freeman of color to be captured into slavery.
This all brings light to a current situation. A situation where our country is once again divided over which flag should fly free over the Southern States. Living in the South, I haven’t seen a shortage of confederate flags. Without understanding the meaning I accepted it as a harmless symbol of the past. We must always remember that our present is rooted in past events. What feeds yesterday will always be relevant for tomorrow. The confederate flag represented the subsidiary of a country with very exacting views. As stated by Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy:
“Many governments have been founded upon the principle of the subordination and serfdom of certain classes of the same race; such were and are in violation of the laws of nature. Our system commits no such violation of nature’s laws. With us, all of the white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the negro. Subordination is his place. He, by nature, or by the curse against Canaan, is fitted for that condition which he occupies in our system. The architect, in the construction of buildings, lays the foundation with the proper material — the granite; then comes the brick or the marble. The substratum of our society is made of the material fitted by nature for it, and by experience we know that it is best, not only for the superior, but for the inferior race, that it should be so. It is, indeed, in conformity with the ordinance of the Creator. It is not for us to inquire into the wisdom of His ordinances, or to question them. For His own purposes, He has made one race to differ from another, as He has made “one star to differ from another star in glory. The great objects of humanity are best attained when there is conformity to His laws and decrees, in the formation of governments as well as in all things else. Our confederacy is founded upon principles in strict conformity with these laws.”
The Confederacy is founded upon principles in strict conformity with the laws fore mentioned by Stephens. You may support the relics of the past but by doing so you open yourself up to yesterday’s views. You belong to a sect, who still believes in the Confederate law. Harmless? Seemingly. Symbolism plays an immense part on the subconscious mind. Most racism of yesterday has been played out, not by the overreaction of bigoted views, but by those who refused to take a stand on something that we know is not right. Will you support those outdated views or will you take a stand?
Freetown Press 
I’m not sure what you mean by “glorifying”, at least in this particular context. Patronizing an old plantation home that has been converted into a B&B is something that can be tremendously informative. Seeing old slave quarters has spurred numerous, deep conversations about slavery and its impact. With very few exceptions, virtually every American agrees that slavery was and is evil and has no place in modern society. What do you propose should be done with all of these old plantations? Should they all be turned into memorials? Should they be demolished and the owners, especially those that inherited the properties, be dispossessed?
I’m writing this from Munich, Germany. Last night, I had a nice Italian meal in the city. As it turns out, the place has been open forever and it was Adolf Hitler’s favorite restaurant. My friend found this out on Yelp, as the restaurant doesn’t advertise this fact of history. Am I a bad person for patronizing this restaurant because it was once used by an evil man to woo his girlfriend and to get a break from planning world domination?
With all that’s going on in the world, why would you spend time even thinking about this? Slavery still exists. How about writing a piece called “Stop Glorifying Dubai” and shedding some light on the conditions faced by the migrant workers “hired” to build all that’s going on there?
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Three bows to a well balanced, professionally crafted and insightful piece of writing. Pointing out the Walt Disney like glorification of plantations is a stroke of genius that may serve to wake some of us up from our “sleepy time down South” mental conditioning. Clearly—JaRon Marshall is a writer to be respected!
I thought the quote by Alexander Stephen, Vice President of the Confederacy, explaining the religious foundation of the Confederate flag was a bit lengthy and, in part, could have been paraphrased.
Separate and apart from this short review is the observation that the current wave of political correctness is an easy wave to ride. Whenever the herd begins to assemble on an issue is often the best time to stop, step back and apply critical thinking. The actions of taking down flags, smashing statues, replacing street names, etc has it’s own momentum that can result in cultural homogenization.
Author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner. Should we tear up the document? The Transcontinental railway was built on the bodies of “sub human” Chinese immigrants. Should we replace the tracks?
It is going to be interesting to see at what point do we determine that the past no longer exists.
—gary
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I agree more with Marc B. If you truly believe that plantations are “glorified,” then you’ll need to strengthen your argument.
Of the plantations I’ve been to, which is at least three different ones (Shadows on the Teche in New Iberia, Magnolia Mound plantation in Baton Rouge, Evergreen plantation around New Orleans), they were not glorified. They essentially functioned as museums. While on plantation tours, we’re showed the white owners’ way of living and we’re showed the slaves’ way of living. We were told about the injustices of slavery and how cruelly the slaves were treated. Tour guides showed us tools, clothing, toys that owners, employees, and slaves used. We saw differences between rich and poor, between frees and slaves. What we saw on plantations was history, and it was a history that never should be repeated.
The significance of the confederate flag has changed throughout time. The significance of plantations has decreased to the point where no one claims they use plantations because of their “heritage” (or at least I’ve never heard that excuse). The confederate flag is a symbol people still use today. Plantations have either been transformed to have no current day connotation with white supremacy, except in the context of its history. If anything, plantations are failed relics. Let’s face it. People will put pictures of the confederate flag everywhere, but have you seen a picture of a plantation on someone’s license plate or tattooed on their arm?
In order to say that plantations are glorified and comparable to the confederate flag, you’ll need to demonstrate how plantations today still demonstrate white supremacy and racism. You’re right in the sense that plantations are not memorials to slaves even though lots of slaves died at those places. If you can build up on that idea, you may have a better argument. Is it problematic that these plantations function as Bed & Breakfasts? Is it problematic that the Shadows on the Teche does a play that reenacts how the owners lived? Do these plantations tours accurately show the reality of how cruel slavery was? Should we discuss slavery and racism more when we tour these plantations? Is it problematic to have photos of plantations on your wall? Is it problematic to like the architecture of plantations even though slavery occurred on those ground? Your argument would be stronger if you could mention specific examples, besides plaques and websites, of the way plantations reinforce racism like the confederate flag does.
I completely agree that racism is a problem in the south and that the confederate flag does not stand for “heritage” but for racism, but I am not convinced that plantations are symbols of racism. Racism did exist on plantations, but now slavery no longer exists on them. You may be on to something about these plantations, but in order to convince people of that, you need to push your argument further. Perhaps you should visit a plantation, go on a tour, and report back to us with specific examples of how the tour glorified its past, either in what it mentioned or what it failed to mention. Belle Grove may be a good place to start.
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