Honors History Writing #1

A False Ideology
by Nikita Atrash September 29th – October 2nd 2009

"It's about time. Someone who's white got to stand up and say, 'Our civil rights were violated,'" Hannah Westerman said today after a successful trial. Throughout the trial, she was confident, as if she thought she would be able to bend the trial in any way that she wanted. Once the trial had concluded, both the black boy’s mothers and the white women taking part in the trial burst into tears – all of them except for Hannah, that is. People in Billy’s Bar celebrated the verdict, down the street at Janie’s Market trucks pulled into the gas pump with rebel flags in their beds, and banners appeared in windows along the main street. It was a cause for celebration in the small town of Guthrie, Kentucky.

The trial was to deem whether four young teenage black boys, all of who were tried as adults, would be put in jail. They were tried for the crimes of first-degree murder, civil rights intimidation, and aggravated attempted kidnapping. The trial had to be held in front of a judge without a jury because any potential viewers in the jury would be completely biased against the defense. Aside from two witnesses – Hannah Westerman, who was the victim’s wife, and Tony Andrews, who was a passenger in the car – there was no real evidence for the trial. Thus, the trial mostly revolved around “what Freddie’s attorney called ‘the cockroach defense.’ If you lack strong evidence that might exonerate your client, he told me, ‘you shit all over what the other side’s got.’” The defendants were found guilty on all charges, aside from one who was apparently 'just in it for the ride'.

The idea that the Civil War is the start of Modern America is entirely false. Ideologies, beliefs, even the way people act and think has not changed in many parts of the country. When a white man thinks badly of a black man, it is because of racism rather than the character of either man. When a black man shoots a white man in the southern town of Guthrie, the entire white population of the town jumps on the story and claims that he was the first to die for the rebel flag in over a hundred and thirty years. Ceremonies and festivals were held in his honor and his biography was even re-written to match his new ‘confederate style’. Next to Michael’s grave was “an iron cross identical to those marking the graves of actual rebel veterans, with C.S.A. on one side and 1861-1865 on the other, beside the Confederate motto, Deo Vindice. With God As Our Defender.” People may call this Modern America, but in actuality it is the same as so long ago.

If this were truly Modern America, people would not still continue to be affected by the civil war, even in the days that it has been declared over. Even people in the most secluded places in the country have some link to the civil war, even if it may not be as direct as someone else has. Relatives who died fighting what appears to be a pointless battle – even if many of the ideas brought in by the civil war are in effect today in places in the North, these are the places that originally believed in and fought for these ideas. The places they were trying to change still do not have those same ideals, do not treat black men in the way that they should, and would even yell ‘You lie’ at the president during a speech on health care – not because they disagree with him, but because of his skin color.

It is evident in the streets people walk on, the monuments that have been made both in honor of soldiers who fell in combat years ago and ordinary civilians who were killed in ‘honor of the confederates’, like Michael Westerman, and the special occasions that often grace the town- from cross burnings to concerts where bands will play ‘Dixie’, a popular song in the Confederate States of America from the Civil War.

“Look at this,” he said, opening an album of family history he’d been given by his sister, Brenda Arms. David ran his finger along a list of rebel ancestors: one captured, another shot dead at Gettysburg, and a private “killed in action, 24th May, 1862.” His age was listed as nineteen.”
“Just like Michael,” David said. He wiped his eyes. “They say that war ended a long time ago. But around here it’s like it’s still going on.”