Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Myths & Realities of American Slavery: The True History of Slavery in America by John C. Perry ISBN: 1-57249-350-X Publisher: White Mane Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3 (4 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: Confederate Propaganda!
Comment: Mr. Perry endeavors to portray himself as some manner of scholar, presenting a seemingly cool, dispassionate and OBJECTIVE history. However, while every author has a bias to one degree or another, Mr. Perry presents a clearly one-sided account of the Civil War through use of SELECTIVE sources. He has also deliberately concealed his partisan "credentials" from his readers. Are you aware that Mr. Perry (perhaps we should address him as 'General') is the Commander of the "Army of the Trans-Mississippi". This is an extremely august position in the upper hierarchy of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). General Perry is also the former "Texas Division" Commander of the SCV and has spent decades in this organization. Mr. Perry states euphemistically that he has edited two "Civil War" newsletters; in fact, these have been Pro-Confederate propaganda tracts with no pretense at academic or political neutrality.
Why did Mr. Perry not disclose this fact? Why is this salient fact not revealed in the "about the author" remarks in his book, or anywhere in his book for that matter? Nor did he reveal any of this in his CSPAN Booknotes appearance.
Now let me be clear, I have no issue with the SCV per se. A private organization may do as they please, within the law of course. Furthermore, I applaud the celebration of history and the exploration of the lives of the common soldier, even of rebels from the Insurrection to Preserve Slavery.
However, General Perry has been the chief POLITICAL point man for the SCV for many years. In fact, he spearheaded a 1997 campaign against that liberal bastion, Texas A&M, of all places. General Perry called the Corps Code of Conduct to account for not allowing the display of Confederate flags or symbols nor other inflammatory symbols such as Swastikas. Apparently Texas A&M is also of a Marxist outlook (according to Perry's definitions) to consider the confederate flag as a symbol of hate and racism.
How can readers trust the credibility of a "historian" when he fails to divulge that he is a chief officer for an organization that vehemently supports a DISTINCT VERSION of history and pursues a "specific social agenda" to that end? Mr. Perry's goal is to instill a specific "sanitized" version of the origins of secession and the politics of the confederacy.
General Perry's chapters on Sectional Polarization and on the Civil War use carefully selected, one-sided sources to present a version that is essentially the basic propaganda of the confederate apologists. Mr. Perry cites, as one of his sources, the Kennedy brothers, James Ronald and Walter Donald, who are two unapologetic, criminally insane confederate apologists themselves. These men are highly suspect in their interpretations, if not their "facts", yet Mr. Perry quotes them to support his own confederate hagiography. In fact, General Perry's book is prominently featured on the crackpot "Southern Party of South Carolina" website. I encourage all to view this website for sidesplitting laughter until you realize these people are not joking. I can't say whether General Perry authorized them to do so, but it speaks for itself that this lunatic revisionist group cites Mr. Perry's book as their bizarre "true" manifesto of American history.
Here are a few sticky issues. General Perry has campaigned for years against anyone changing or removing confederate flag or icons. I agree that historical names and monuments should not be altered for the sake of current political correctness. However, lets talk about that confederate flag issue. General Perry fails to discuss the fact that numerous Southern states ADDED the confederate flag or heraldry to their state flags in the 1950s in direct response to and in protest of the Brown v. Topeka Supreme Court decision. That decision began ending the shameful "separate but equal schools" for blacks and whites. These states did this to represent white supremacy and opposition to civil rights. General Perry conveniently leaves it out of his book, preferring to have you believe that a century of state tradition is being trampled. Why?
Why, General Perry, do you claim the Civil War was fought over states rights? Would you please enumerate those rights that were thus threatened? You confederate apologists are shrill in insisting the war was NOT to preserve the Slavocracy but rather to preserve rights, yet you are strangely unable to list said endangered rights. Why?
Moreover, if the issue was really about states rights, then why did the constitution of the confederate states of America almost exactly copy the U.S. Constitution? There were no provisions whatsoever to strengthen or preserve states rights, except, of course, a VERY clear provision specifically protecting slavery. For a struggle over "rights" it is most curious that the supreme law of the confederacy safeguarded NO RIGHTS other than SLAVERY beyond those already provided for in the U.S. Constitution. Why?
Why, if slavery was not the reason for the rebellion, did the Vice-President of the confederacy, Alexander Stephens make a famous speech claiming slavery was the "cornerstone" of the new confederacy? How does Mr. Perry spin this fact, which he again conveniently omits from his book? Having read his book's bibliography, I know it is impossible that Mr. Perry did not know about these contrary facts. He clearly chose to omit them in order to preserve, unchallenged, his own confederate apologist version of history. Don't even get me started on his incredible spin on Nathan Bedford Forrest. Mr. Perry seems to have strangely overlooked the infamous Fort Pillow massacre. Why?
Perhaps because Mr. Perry does not want his version of history to include a confederate general ordering African-American soldiers to be literally crucified on tent poles and burned alive.
I could go on, especially refuting the many one-sided points Mr. Perry brings up in his book. Everything I have brought up is verifiable from public sources. As far as the historical elements, Mr. Perry's own bibliography would refute or balance most of what he says. He OBVIOUSLY read these books, but chose to cite only passages that support his pre-conceived point of view. To portray himself as a historian, he should have at least presented ALL the facts and let readers determine the merits of various arguments.
Sincerely,
Thane
Rating: 1
Summary: Don't be fooled
Comment: This book is propoganda, not serious history. John C. Perry is a leading member of the Texas branch of Sons of Confederate Veterans -- a fact that is conspicuously omitted from his biography in the book. True to the goals of the SCV, Perry is determined to defend Southern heritage. With virtually no attribution, he stresses that slaveowners were a paternal lot, that slaves had better living conditions that most whites, and that large mulatto populations in 1860 do not indicate owners and overseers "had their way with slaves." I bought this book by mistake, thinking it was serious history. Hope you can avoid the same error.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great New Book!
Comment: This is a very interesting book, one that I really enjoyed. It is a very well researched history of slavery in America. It is very easy to read, I finished it in just a couple of sittings. The book does start off a little slow, but the last two-thirds of the book is great. It gives an incredible amount of information about slavery, with lots of footnotes. I learned much, many facts that I didn't know and it exposed a number of myths about slavery. I liked the use of quotes from many former slaves that talked about their lives as slaves. The book has an excellent chapter on the Civil War. It has the best explanation of the causes of the Civil War that I have ever seen, and no it wasn't just slavery. The author clearly explains how the war started, very well done. It also has 30 or so fact boxes that bring out some rarely known facts about slavery. This is a very good book and is a must on the shelf of any Civil War buff or student of American History or African-American studies. A must read!
 |
Title: Myths of American Slavery by Walter Donald Kennedy ISBN: 1589800478 Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: American Slavery 1619-1877 by Peter Kolchin ISBN: 0809016303 Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: Southern by the Grace of God by Michael Andrew Grissom ISBN: 0882897616 Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 August, 1989 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
 |
Title: The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War by Thomas J. Dilorenzo ISBN: 0761526463 Publisher: Three Rivers Press (CA) Pub. Date: 02 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: A Constitutional History of Secession by John Remington Graham, Donald Livingston ISBN: 1589800664 Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
