Remembering Jefferson Davis' 200th
Birthday
By: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.
1064 West Mill Drive
Kennesaw, Georgia 30152
Phone: 770 428 0978
Is the "War Between the States" still taught in our schools?
The Jefferson Davis State Historic Site in Fairview,
Kentucky marks the spot where Jefferson Davis was born on June 3,
1808. Plans are underway to celebrate Davis' 200th birthday
on June 7th 8th, there, in the shadow of a 351-foot monument to
Davis.
Earlier, an official dedication and grand opening of
"Jefferson Davis Park" took place at beautiful Clark
County, Washington on Sunday, April 27, 2008. This project was
made possible by the local Sons of Confederate Veterans and United
Daughters of the Confederacy.
http://JeffersonDavisPark.org
Many 200th birthday tributes are planned for Davis.....
But, what do our children know about Abraham Lincoln (1809-
1865) and Jefferson Davis (1808-1889?) These men were
born nearly 100 miles of each other in Kentucky, served as War
Between the States presidents and America will remember the 200th
birthday of both men soon.
A news reporter wrote that the 200th birthday commemoration
for Abraham Lincoln will take place on February 12, 2009, but
many people would rather forget the bicentennial birthday of
Jefferson Davis on June 3, 2008.
Why the negative slant on Jefferson Davis?
The Sons of Confederate Veterans are sending a
positive message by proclaiming 2008 as the "Year of Davis"
http://www.scv.org ... And last February, Bertram Hayes-Davis,
the great-great grandson of Jefferson Davis, recreated the 1861
swearing-in ceremony of his grandfather as Confederate President
in Montgomery, Alabama. Bertram Davis told reporters:
"I stand here representing a family that is very proud of
their ancestor."
The Davis event of the year might be the June 3,
2008 reopening of "Beauvoir" the last home of Jefferson Davis and
his family. The Davis home was severely damaged by Hurricane
Katrina in 2005. Read more about Jefferson Davis and his
Mississippi Gulf Coast home at:
http://www.beauvoir.org. The birthday festivities begin at 10
AM.
Did you know that Jefferson Davis adopted a black child,
Jim Limber, as his son? The Sons of Confederate Veterans are
planning a Davis Memorial Statue, in Virginia, depicting the
forgotten story of the Jefferson Davis family and Jim Limber.
Sons of Confederate Veterans Commander-In-Chief Christopher
Sullivan said of this project "This will be our token of
gratitude for what Jefferson Davis did and what he stood for."
Please ask your local newspaper, radio and TV for equal-time
in covering the birthday of Jefferson Davis. Our American Media
will no doubt cover the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln next
February 12th but shouldn't they also cover the Davis birthday of
June 3rd? This seems to me the "Fair and Balanced" thing to do
as the USA remembers two American presidents.
Who was Jefferson Davis?
Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808, in Christian
County, Kentucky that would become Todd County.
Davis' father, Samuel Emory Davis, served in the
Revolutionary War and participated in the siege of Savannah. Three
of Jeff's older brothers served in the War of 1812, two
under General Andrew Jackson. His father was from Georgia and
mother Jane Cook Davis, daughter of a noted Baptist Preacher, was
from North Carolina.
Jefferson Davis, who would become the first and only
President of the Confederate States of America, was a strong
Unionist and a strong defender of the United States Constitution.
Our founding Fathers believed in the sovereignty of the states and
do did Jefferson Davis.
At the young age of 16, Jefferson Davis received an
appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point,
New York by President Monroe. He graduated in 1828 with the
commission of 2nd Lieutenant.
Jefferson Davis fought valiantly in the War with Mexico,
served as the United States Senator from Mississippi, served as
Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce and was the first
to suggest the transcontinental railroad to link the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans.
Jefferson Davis' last marriage is said to have been a good
one to Varina, who gave her husband three sons and two daughters
(Jefferson Joseph, Billy, Margaret and Winnie.) Joseph was killed
in an accidental fall at the Confederate White House in Richmond,
Virginia in 1864, and an abused black child named Jim Limber was
adopted by the Davis family.
Jefferson Davis died in New Orleans, Louisiana in December
1889, and the New York Times ran a 2,000 word tribute to the
funeral of Davis on December 12, 1889. The following is a small
part of the news report from New Orleans, Louisiana:
"He suffered many and grievous wrongs. Suffered mostly for
the sake of others, and those others will remember him and his
unflinching fidelity with deep gratitude while the Potomac seeks
the Chesapeake or the Mississippi sweeps by Briarfield on its way
to the Mexican Sea."
A birthday ceremony will be performed on June 7, 2008, at 10
AM at the grave of Jefferson Davis at Hollywood Cemetery in
Richmond, Virginia.
Let's remember all those who helped make America great!!
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