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'my Jefferson Isn't Their Jefferson'

February 14, 2009 12:36 am

FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR

TO THIS DAY, race relations in our country remains one of the most controversial issues with regard to historical interpretation. American historians, in particular, have a unique challenge because so many of our country's most revered figures, including some of our nation's Founding Fathers, were either neutral on the issue of slavery or were practicing slaveholders themselves.

Adding to this dilemma is the fact that some of Virginia's wealthiest planters were indeed troubled by the practice, despite the fact that their fortunes had been acquired and maintained on the backs of forced labor. We know these inner conflicts existed, because many of their personal writings exhibit a distinct moral conflict that plagued their consciences. Perhaps no one's legacy is as perplexing, regarding the institution of slavery, than that of one of our state's most celebrated sons, Thomas Jefferson.

As my own research advanced deeper into the life of Monticello's master, I found myself becoming acutely aware of the stark differences between how one may interpret the lives of our nation's notable figures, and the interpretations of others. Specifically, I discovered a completely different point of view among my African-American and biracial colleagues.

It seems that "my Jefferson" isn't at all like "their Jefferson," and my experience when visiting his magnificent estate is also very different from their experience. I don't believe that this is due to any insensitivity on my part, because I don't approve of any form of racial inequality. However, I do believe that it's because, as a white man, I don't take the institution of slavery personally. My ancestors were never victims of this injustice. Therefore, when I examine the issue, I tend to examine it from a distance.

Admittedly, growing up in western Pennsylvania, my exposure to black history was extremely limited in my youth. In fact, it was only after I became a historian that I realized the gap that existed in my own interpretations of America. It was only when I began discussing Virginia's history with colleagues of a different skin color that I began to confront my own ignorance regarding the subject of another's heritage.

This is why Black History Month has become such an important event to me, not only as a historian, but more importantly as an American.

I would like to recommend that citizens of all colors take some time during Black History Month to explore our town's African-American history from what may be an unfamiliar perspective. These are just a few of the landmark moments in the 281-year story of Fredericksburg:

Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), which is located on Sophia Street, was sold to its black congregation in 1857 by the resident white church. Shortly after gaining its pseudo independence, the church flourished, building a large membership of both free and slave members. After Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect, the congregation appointed its first black pastor, the Rev. George Dixon. Following the end of the Civil War, Shiloh's members worshipped together as free men and women.

John De Baptiste, an entrepreneurial black man from St. Kitts, lived on Sophia Street and operated the local ferry to Falmouth. His business flourished in the late 1700s to the point that several of his children invested in both the shipping and land speculation businesses. De Baptiste was considered part of Fredericksburg's elite citizenry and is said to have owned two slaves of his own at one time.

Before the Civil War, the area around Barton Street was known as "Liberty Town." There, free African-Americans rented homes. Maury School, which has since been converted into Maury Commons, sits on what was originally a "colored cemetery." When the large brick and stone schoolhouse was built in the 1920s, those buried in the area were exhumed and moved to Shiloh Cemetery.

By the summer of 1862, as many as 10,000 slaves had passed through Fredericksburg heading north. A remarkable man named John Washington made his way to freedom with the arrival of the Union Army. Swimming from the shoreline near present-day Old Mill Park just below the Falmouth Bridge, he was welcomed by Federal troops who were camped on the Falmouth side of the river. Washington later recalled, "I did not know what to say for I was dumb with joy and could only thank God and laugh."

The Fredericksburg area was also home to one of the most notable civil rights pioneers, who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation in the South. James Farmer, who served alongside Martin Luther King Jr., helped to establish the Committee of Racial Equality. He was also instrumental in forming the "Freedom Riders" who rode buses into the segregated southern United States to test the Supreme Court decision Boynton v. Virginia, in 1960.

The Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford areas are richly saturated in history, and the diversity of that history has been preserved for this and future generations. Black History Month presents a perfect platform for sharing these events.

It is through these stories, the legacies of our African-American brothers and sisters, that we can enrich our own historical knowledge and broaden our perspectives regarding our collective origins and perhaps, more importantly, our shared destiny.

Michael Aubrecht is an author and historian from Spotsylvania County. Visit his Web site at pinstripepress.net. E-mail him in care of
Email: gwoolf@freelancestar.com.