“Ten conservatives who have praised slavery”

Posted October 12th, 2012 by James DeWolf Perry
Category: Public History Tags: Jon Hubbard, legacy of slavery, slavery

Salon is running an essay today, entitled “Ten conservatives who have praised slavery.”

This essay, by Mark Howard of AlterNet, presents a list of ten well-known conservatives who have suggested that slavery was better than its reputation suggests, or that slavery should be viewed positively because of its impact on black Americans today.

This list was inspired by Arkansas state legislator Jon Hubbard, whose self-published book, it was revealed this week, called slavery “a blessing in disguise.” Hubbard is a conservative Republican, and Howard’s list includes such famous Republicans as Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Pat Buchanan, and Ann Coulter.

I trust that no reader of this blog believes that those who were enslaved in this country were well-treated or enjoyed being enslaved, as figures on this list have claimed. And it’s surely important to be aware that this is a meme circulating in some circles in this country: Howard forcefully argues that there is “an almost palpable nostalgia among some conservatives for a bygone era,” and it is important to consider why this nostalgia might be so powerful for some that it breaks down all barriers of common sense.

What I wonder is this: is it fair to focus entirely on conservatives when discussing this myopia about slavery and its effects? Is blindness to slavery’s nature and consequences unique to conservative political thought, or is it a trap into which white people from across the political spectrum can fall?

Can anyone think of any examples of liberals thinking this way?