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It’s a strange twist to imagine, but two Civil War generals and civil rights leader Martin
Luther King Jr. share something in common: a long weekend.
Virginia, for years, had the rare oddity of holiday – at least on paper. It was a holiday
that honored all three men: Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan
(“Stonewall”) Jackson, as well as MLK.
This year, change was in the wind. A day of honor for the two long-dead Civil War generals
was on the calendar. In fact, it was the Friday before MLK’s birthday, giving, at minimum,
state employees a four-day weekend.
Viola Baskerville (D-Richmond, VA), in an interview with the Associated Press, said
debates would probably never cease over honoring those from the American Civil War.
“We’re always going to have this challenge in Virginia because of our unique historical
perspective,” Baskerville said.
Virginia served as the Confederate capitol, but can also boast that it was the unfortunate
host to the greatest number of Civil War battles. Those factors, coupled with others, such
as the fact that Jackson is a native of the state, have been the subject of debate for
many years in the statehouse.
Looking back at the history of the holidays, things began to get hairy in 1985. That’s the
year Virginia added MLK to the list of holidays, but added it to an existing state holiday
– January 19 – that commemorated the birthdays of Lee and Jackson.
King, as you probably are aware, was born on January 15. Lee is the one who was born on
January 19, and Jackson was born on January 21.
When the federal calendar made January 15 a national holiday, the state followed suit,
which then created another state holiday entry for on the calendar. Things were getting
confusing and messy.
Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, last year, proposed a separate holiday for the generals’
birthdays. The state’s General Assembly went along with the idea, and decided upon January
12 as that day.
Jeb Stuart IV, great-grandson of the Civil War general, and president of the Museum of the
Confederacy, told AP that “All three were great men,” and said that breaking the holidays
apart, giving the Civil War generals a day of their own, as well as MLK his own day in the
state, was a good idea.
“Breaking (the holidays) up into two holidays gives the opportunity to concentrate on two
different parts of history, but all should be honored, no matter what forum they’re placed
in,” Stuart said.
For some, the idea of honoring two Civil War generals around the same time MLK is being
honored might seem absurd, if not even a bit racist. But is it? Not really. Think about
it. King, for all the good he brought about as a result of his actions – most of them
illegal at the time, with some of them even landing him in jail – is honored for breaking
the law. The generals – Lee and Jackson, in this case – are being honored for their
bravery, honor, and valor.
Be it the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, or the Gulf War, people have
always been honored, especially in their home state. That’s exactly what Virginia is doing
with the generals: giving them their due.
Happy Birthday to all three!
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"Civil War Generals, MLK Jr share 4-day holiday "
