Talk:Congress of the Confederate States

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[edit] Legislation

This was added on 2/8/08:

The Confederate Congress also passed legislation calling for the execution of any African American taken as a prisoner of war with white officers suffering the same fate if they were captured in command of black troops [1]. This act outraged many in the United States Congress and the Union Army promptly responded that if any United States soldiers were executed without cause, an equal number of Confederate soliders would likewise be put to death. The Confederacy backed down on this official proclamation although summary and "unoffical" killings still took place. The act to execute Negro troops was protrayed in the 1989 motion picture Glory.

Several problems I see with this. First, the source for this is a proclamation by Jefferson Davis, not a bill passed by the Confederate Congress. I'm no expert on the Confederate government, but it seems like this would be more like a modern executive order, which is separate from acts of Congress. Second, the source doesn't say what is claimed. Nowhere does it say that black troops are to be executed, but that the troops are to be treated as POWs, unless they're slaves, in which case they're turned over to the states. Maybe the laws of those states provided for death for such slaves, but there's no source for that.

But besides the fact that this isn't a legislative act, it seems POV. Maybe on a page about the treatment of blacks during the Civil War, or some such topic, but I don't see the need to talk about this one proclamation here and no other laws, and comes across as "look at just how bad the South was". There might be a place on Wikipedia for this proclamation, but it's not in this article, at least not without more. PaulGS (talk) 02:19, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

It can probably be moved or modified, but just cutting it because one doesnt like what it has to say isn't the way to go here. Yet another source for this is "Blue Eyed Child of Fortune, the Civil War Letters of Robert Gould Shaw". It this book, he directly states "The Confederate Congress has issued a proclamation..." and then goes on to desribe the exact measures where his soldiers (as well as the Colonel himself) would be executed if captured. I've also seen this mentioned in several other Civil War textbooks as well as a brief mention in the PBS speical "Reconstruction: The Second Civil War". This is further noteworthy due to its apperance in the film "Glory". It is not "Point of View" since it is a direct factual statement and nowhere does anyone say the South was bad or evil in that statement as you stated. -OberRanks (talk) 23:41, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

I also found an entry here [2] where it states the original order of Jefferson Davis was endorsed by the Confederate Congress. -OberRanks (talk) 23:52, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm still not sure why this one particular topic is relevant to the article as it stands now. I haven't seen "Glory, but if that's why it's notable, then it belongs in an "In popular culture" section. The article's pretty short right now, and I think it gives undue weight to this one decree to include it without more. It might be factual, but POV can also be found in choosing what facts to present and what not to present. Considering that the Confederacy only existed during wartime, much of its legislation would deal with war and the military, but why does this one resolution deserve a paragraph when only three other acts are even mentioned. And, no, it doesn't directly say anything against the South, but having the only described piece of legislation be about executing slaves can come across as pushing the racism angle. Like I said before, the topic certainly has a place here, but, other than its mention in "Glory", what makes this act notable? PaulGS (talk) 04:19, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

I agree with Paul, why list this resolution here? The overall entry has nothing to do with CSA legislature, slaves, or prisoners of war. It seems the focus of this article is on the army of the Confederate States. Listing this note here, reguardless if it was of presidental decree or congressional resolution, detracts from this article's original theme. It would fit better on a page focused with the tales of Civil War prisoners, actions of slaves during the war, or other happenings directed towards black Union troops or officers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.243.168.74 (talk) 19:21, 27 May 2008 (UTC)