A Southern Historian's Lost Cause | Roy Wisecarver | TEDxUAMonticello

Growing up in the Deep South, Roy "Trae" Wisecarver was taught a different story about the Civil War than he learned as a historian. In this compelling talk, he mixes history and common sense to make the case that he and his fellow Southerners can love their home without lying about its history. Roy Wisecarver graduated from UAM with a BA in History in 2013. He subsequently earned an MA from the University of Mississippi and is currently a PhD student at Texas A&M University. His dissertation examines the relationships between the Confederate government, state government, and people of Arkansas during the Civil War. He will be talking about the dissonance between Civil War memory and history. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@MrAdamKey]

I’m the organizer for this event. For the repeated questions/comments about the lack of laughter at his jokes, they were laughing but we unfortunately didn’t have the equipment in our first year to mic the audience. Everything you’re hearing is from his headset mic.

[@seanpeterson2288]

That explains a lot. The audio quality did sound very low tier.

[@JohnSmith-id8kz]

thankyou for the update. I was wondering that myself

[@benvoliothefirst]

@@seanpeterson2288 JFC, we can't all be Dr. Dre. It did the job.

[@GigasGMX]

probably should have added little "crowd laughs" captions when they're laughing at his jokes, or something

[@MrAdamKey]

GigasGMX We’re not allowed to superimpose text. We are working on getting this talk captioned, though.

[@sandrafrancisco]

this guy was my history professor, very kind and well-read historian

[@leroycasterline1122]

> this guy was my history professor You were fortunate.

[@TheMijman]

@King Klebold *Americans

[@johncronin9540]

Eric Lee I think he was unquestionably nervous (who wouldn’t be?). But I would be concerned about his health. I am trying not to shame him here. He knows his history, and I would wish to have him enjoy a long career.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@King Klebold You mean like your mom?

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@Dominus Vobiscum You again MORON? Go away or I will do the same thing I've done 3 times in this comment section.....DESTROY YOU!

[@SheplerStudios]

“We get our history from historians and not our drunk uncles.” Brilliant.

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

Too many of our drunk uncles got jobs as talking heads, voices of rage, and senators.

[@yazzyyazyaz]

What happens when the historians are also our drunk uncles?

[@melissasaint3283]

Ah yes, the "Drunkle." He is well known for unsettling everyone's new girlfriend and having the tv volume *way* too loud at Christmas. Not nearly as great as the "Funcle" or "fun uncle" (the guy who takes you out to spin donuts in the school parking lot in his junk car while the Turkey is cooking on Thanksgiving)

[@melissasaint3283]

@Ken H. 1. History as in school books? Or History as in primary source documents and solid evidence produced by the work of competent scholars? One can be a fable, yes. But reality exists. 2. Your drunkle may love you, but he can still pass on comforting lies and bum advice *his* drunkle told him. It doesnt make him bad. It just makes him a very flawed teacher. 3. The guy who presented this Ted talk decidedly does not hate you.

[@ffggamestuff3724]

@Ken H. Postmodern drivel. History happened, even if we can't directly witness the material conditions.

[@jamxtube]

Mr. Wisecarver exemplifies how the greatest weapons against tyranny are a library card, an open mind and having no fear of the truth.

[@fredfrond6148]

Well said. Unfortunately there is LLLOTTSSS of fear of the truth right now.

[@kmccary]

Damn right.

[@rmcavoy415]

That's such a beautiful way of putting it

[@jd190d]

When you live in a country where expertise is trivialized, science is derided as a belief system, not a process to investigate our world, the free press is attacked for being disloyal and the only things you should believe are from the leader, no matter how much those things said bears no reality to objective truth then you are seeing attempts at creating an autocratic government.

[@prieten49]

What's a library card? Just joking. Unfortunately, our egos are so fragile that we cling to the most positive narrative about ourselves we can find and then fight to the death to avoid changing our minds. The popularity of "fake news" and "alternative facts" among a significant portion of the American population makes the task of being honest with ourselves even harder.

[@b.2569]

"You are not responsible for what your ancestors did. You are responsible for what you do." Very well said. I think people in the South (including members of my own family) get confused and feel they have to defend the Confederacy as if it's part of who they are.

[@mito88]

Tell that to the germans, still paying out to this day.

[@twilitezn]

Carl Ryan Except.....it’s not : The Confederacy and it’s ideals were not stamped out - it was allowed to rebuild and reform itself - violently - eight years after Reconstruction. It then ushered in an Age of Terror - Jim Crow - which rebirthed the KKK and was run by the Dixiecrats - most notably Storm Thurmond - for the next 60+ years. During this time these ideals infiltrated the SWest and Midwestern states : a lot of the lynching photos that you see were taken in places like Indiana; you even had Klan marches in Long Island, NY. The ideals of the Confederacy morphed AGAIN in the 1960s after the Civil Rights Act when the Dixiecrats defected to the Republican Party and made themselves into the “respectable” Moral Majority, and ever since then has molded the party sharply towards it ideals - it still uses the camouflaged Confederate screed of “States Rights”

[@arimfshapiro7907]

@@twilitezn Your recollection of history is poor.

[@enginerdy]

@@arimfshapiro7907 I think that's what they call a "non-rebuttal", often paraphrased as "NUH UH!"

[@vanrssawise5804]

@@enginerdy LOL lmbao🤣🤣🤣

[@Rsama60]

True ending words. I am German and can relate to your words. Born in 1960 I am not responsible for what the Nazis did, so nobody blame me for that. Where my responibility lies that this never happens again. Seing US Americans waving the Swastika flag is sick.

[@wurstsalatplays523]

Exactly this. ^

[@FirstClass102]

But that responsibility has nothing to do with you being German and everything to do with you being human

[@wurstsalatplays523]

@David Clinging I take offence if you call me a child of nazism.

[@r.lewisblake7793]

Ja genau.

[@DrFunk-rk6yl]

Seeing anyone wave it is sick.

[@DABIGDAWG001]

I have said it 100 times, if we can’t even be honest with ourselves about something that happened 150 years ago we have no chance to fix present-day problems.

[@DABIGDAWG001]

@Dominus Vobiscum what do you mean?

[@ethanator8265]

I have said a similar thing that if people still believe what the south had been saying for this long then who really won the civil war?

[@FloorEncer]

@Bear Foxtrot Dominus vobiscum (Latin: "The Lord be with you") is an ancient salutation and blessing traditionally used by the clergy in the Catholic Mass and other liturgies, as well as liturgies of other Western Christian denominations, such as Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Methodism.

[@PicturesJester]

Wtf is this crowd, the man deserved a few laughs

[@lecurymccray5804]

It’s in a town in Southern Arkansas called Monticello... Were the confederate flag flies proudly. He’s trying to educate the kids at that college.

[@FerreusNRG]

@@lecurymccray5804 Damn, tough crowd :D

[@demovideos187]

I’m pleasantly surprised that his audience didn’t troll the comment section here, this must be uncomfortable stuff if your entire life you’ve been taught different

[@aaronz6236]

LeCury McCray oh, that makes more sense. When he said “I know what you guys are thinking when a guy like me wants to talk about the civil war,” I thought he didn’t want to come off as a confederate flag bearing fanatic, but it’s quite the contrary. The kids knew what he came to say.

[@mattmcgowan7491]

I know right? More like Roy Wisecracker.

[@JoefromNJ1]

if anyone ever tries to tell you the war had nothing to do with slavery, just tell them to go read the secession declarations from the condfederate states. Mississippi is a great one to start with.

[@ClintsGrievances]

Starwars Fan360 You’re not paying attention.

[@ClintsGrievances]

@Starwars Fan360 The Union went to war over secession; the south seceded over slavery; hence, the war was about slavery. You're not arguing with me over this, you're arguing with the articles of seccession and quotes from prominent people from that time period...

[@kerentolbert5448]

@Starwars Fan360 He had two glasses 👓 through which he saw 👀 slavery, his personal one and the other his official one. The personal view allowed him to want to dismantle it, the official view as President allowed him only to contain it.

[@danielweeks4886]

Keren Tolbert he had to get the support of the racists of the north, who conflicted with his personal beliefs

[@kerentolbert5448]

@@ClintsGrievances The words you meant to type was 'secession' or 'seceded'.

[@qs4177]

He sounds nervous but he really did do a good job

[@Kosmologiikka]

I don't know about nervous. More like he has trouble breathing.

[@diegonascimento258]

He is obese

[@ashgaarxd]

James clark I get that you hate america but don’t just say he lied cause you’re brainwashed by people who want to control you.

[@Aethelbeorn]

@James clark Hes overweight and is having a tough time getting enough air. But go ahead with your narrative if it makes you feel good.

[@kythian]

@James clark Cool story, bro. Where's your evidence?

[@jonothandoeser]

Respect. Saying all that inconvenient truth about your own home area can't be easy.

[@gerokron3412]

You get used to that. Truth is a warm feeling. Greetings from Germany

[@jonothandoeser]

@Dominus Vobiscum Yeah, he was no champion or savior of the slaves either. But he was still not as bad as the Confederates!

[@kneelingcatholic]

P4OUR >>>>they did kill him

[@s.e.f8160]

I’m from Arkansas and can confirm. It’s social and to a large extent familial suicide.

[@vanrssawise5804]

@@s.e.f8160 You are very brave to admit that. Stay safe and watch your back, Girl!♥

[@7Neiman]

As a African-American male and successful trauma surgeon medical professor in the Detroit area I would like to say thank you to this gentleman👍🏾 and I pray that my Caucasian brothers and sisters are listening? in these months leading to the election it is amazing how the south completely rewrote the history of the Civil War and Americans digested it!!! it is amazing the that we as citizens are not aware of the documents and the writings of “the lost cause of the confederacy“ thank you for making it plane and I look forward to your first book, may God bless you

[@soccerchamp0511]

Amen, my southern brother. I've had the same struggles with my own family, and I have had to come to terms with my own ancestors' involvement in slavery and the Civil War. It's difficult, but my response has been to work to right the wrongs done and do as much as possible to facilitate healing. As someone who has been studying history my entire life and now works as a public historian, trying to dispel the myths surrounding the Civil War and race relations in this country has been sort of a special area of interest for me in that work.

[@jeffreygibbs8445]

Well played -- I have had this argument with my father so many times without the primary source evidence. Now I have something to work with!

[@deneshbhaskar3944]

jeff ur dads a rasict.

[@historicus146]

Make sure you read the other 24 paragraphs of the Cornerstone Speech, and the Davis inaugural, and pre war Secession debates in the South also....

[@kneelingcatholic]

historicus146, reading is really HARD.! it's more fun to watch coloring book versions of history. Don't you remember when old Abe told Jeff Davis 'y'all can secede as long as you free your slaves!' ?

[@mrbadguysan]

@@historicus146 and the state declarations of secession. You know, the ones about slavery.

[@owenhall5742]

@@kneelingcatholic his only goal was maintaining the union. The confederacy goal was to maintain slavery.

[@saint6563]

The South Carolina & Confederate Vice President's declarations must be in every US History Book.

[@punkwrestle]

He only mention SC, but it’s in all the Southern Succession Documents and enshrined in their Confederate State Constitutions.

[@wordforger]

@@punkwrestle Well, in every one that listed the causes, yes. Several just said "We're no longer part of the Union" in so many words, not why they left. (Hint: They all signed onto the document that explicitly enshrined slavery into their government.) Also, yes. If I ever get put in charge of a history class that covers the Civil War, I'll be sure to bring in the seccession documents for the kids to peruse. Mississippi's is pretty explicit: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery." That's right after the intro.

[@punkwrestle]

J W I do love how some of the lost cause people try to say the VP didn’t know what he was talking about in the Cornerstone Speech. It’s like he was one of the top men of the confederate government. Of course he knew more than you do about what they were fighting for.

[@ayarzeev8237]

I agree, these should be in every history class to help illustrate that the South was fighting for slavery. I also think that Lincoln's letter to Horace Greeley and Lincoln's 1856 primary speech should too to illustrate how the North was not 100% fighting for abolitionism. Also include Lincoln's letter to his general urging him to fight for the Union if not for abolitionism. This in no form takes away from the Souths reason but it should be taught none the less.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@@punkwrestle For the love of God...ITS S_E_C_E_S_S_I_O_N!

[@trroland1248]

This Ted Talk could have stood to be 60 minutes.

[@danceswithtwins8048]

It should be required viewing in all southern schools.

[@aphotosyntheticworld]

Not sure that guy could have stood for 60 minutes though.

[@lizcollinson2692]

Why he got his point across, more history another time. But his point was made and evidence provided.

[@vanrssawise5804]

@@danceswithtwins8048 So should American History X. It is just as relevant today as the truth this man is speaking.♥

[@Armataan]

"I feel like they could have shortened that a little." - Roy "Trae" Wisecarver. Eloquence is the art of reducing a message to its absolutely shortest, purest, form.

[@roastchicken2114]

This giant of a man has an even more giant pair of balls. This is courage folks.

[@ricbrunner3880]

Well that would he exciting.

[@danielw.2554]

@Dominus Vobiscum thats called whataboutism don't look at us! Look at them! It isn't white guilt to state the fact the the war was over slavery you could talk about the union and Lincoln but it doesn't have to do with the fact that the war was over slavery.

[@aidanwotherspoon905]

Dominus Vobiscum so white guilt applies to Yankees too. That’s neither controversial nor the blow against white guilt that you think it is

[@jesushoobastankchrist251]

@@robertsipe9748 in the trump era honesty is courage.

[@yomamawanmadikku9094]

@coolaccountname exactly bro thwse commies are complacent in our peoples replacement

[@erichodge567]

This presentation was given at the University of Arkansas, Monticello campus, which might explain why his jokes fell flat. After more than 150 years, the South is still not ready to hear the truth.

[@erichodge567]

@Dominus Vobiscum , the truth was what the gentleman told us: that slavery was the proximate cause of the war, and that Lost Causers are just lying when they say otherwise.

[@Redrage-gl6pv]

@Dominus Vobiscum It was a short talk and he gets to the point pretty quickly. Some southern revisionists try to claim rather opaque rationale for secession but if you chase those down the rabbit hole you typically get back to slavery. A funny example is Robert Tommbs from Georgia. He spoke at length about their desire to secede and he claimed that northern proclamations about saving the union were a sham. He essentially said, "Don't believe those bastards when they say they're not trying to end slavery." Google some of his speeches. Don't believe anyone when they say there was something noble about the Confederate cause. The entire casus belli for them was preserving the institution of human chattel slavery.

[@Redrage-gl6pv]

@Dominus Vobiscum Almost all of those causes were a result of slavery. That's one of the things Tommbs points out in his contemporary speeches. The south didn't go to war over tariffs. They went to war because their wealth and mode of production was founded on slavery and they believed Lincoln would end that "peculiar institution" after he was elected.

[@Redrage-gl6pv]

@Dominus Vobiscum that neglects something crucial. The south started the war by seizing Federal military assets. If they hadn't have done that we don't know that the war could have had popular support in the north. It's plausible that there would have not been enough support to sustain a war. The truth is it doesn't matter why the north fought. It was the south that started the war and they started it to preserve the institution of slavery. Again there's contemporary evidence of this in the speeches and public declarations of the Confederates in 1861.

[@Redrage-gl6pv]

@Dominus Vobiscum this is straw manning. The point is the south started the war and they started the war to preserve slavery.

[@sokuze98]

Very well done my friend. I have just been learning about the Daughters of the Confederacy (DOC) and how they formed the “Lost Cause” narrative. Their tireless work has contributed greatly to the injustices to people of color and the mess we have today.

[@philippschwartzerdt3431]

Brilliantly set out and historically accurate. It's time that people accept that slavery was wrong and to own up to the truth of history and then make a better future for all our children. Thank you!

[@sesankata]

I love southern People but the lost cause narrative holds the south back.

[@seandelevan]

Starwars Fan360 LMAO

[@AndyTomlins]

@Starwars Fan360 "The General Government, as the common agent, passed laws to carry into effect these stipulations of the States. For many years these laws were executed. But an increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery, has led to a disregard of their obligations, and the laws of the General Government have ceased to effect the objects of the Constitution." The declaration was about states right. What right? Slavery. The Southern states went along with general laws. Until the abolitionof slavery.

[@sesankata]

@Starwars Fan360 it is true The North did not care about Slavery, But the institution was vital to the southern labor intensive agricultural economy.

[@roushpedish]

sesankata indeed, the south had a bunch of lazy white people who wanted others to work without pay.

[@jw362]

@Starwars Fan360 You better watch this again and pay attention this time.

[@RobertDouglasLW]

Jesus Hannibal Christ, someone please give this man a courtesy laugh. Those jokes are not that bad.

[@johnhsmckay]

haha thats what i thought

[@flakblas]

People were probably laughing but it doesn't sound like they have any mics on the audience.

[@jimtimmins1119]

Slavery is too savery to laugh at.

[@Zues120]

Sometimes they dont have the audience Mic'd up which is too bad. He pauses at times that would seem 'random' but if you figure he is waiting for the crowd to finish laughing or take in his point it makes sense.

[@miguel_machado]

Courtesy laugh? I feel like my life is a lie of courtesy

[@jaydenanderson53]

I was laughing at his jokes. Just a dead crowd. Nice job my man

[@USGrant-rr2by]

That's the message you got from this? NOW!

[@lafq]

I came to comment the same thing

[@Sayntavian]

I think they were laughing, but the audience wasn't mic'ed up

[@jamesmcpherson8599]

Academic crowds are typically silent

[@williamgirard2412]

@@USGrant-rr2by no, but is a takeaway. This was either a hostile or extremely insensitive crowd he was speaking to.

[@jimlawson7789]

I’m a Canadian who has studied with an open mind the same material and I admire you greatly.

[@user-si3gu8pm6j]

Too bad (also a Canadian here) we, as part of the British Empire (though officially neutral) sided with the South in the civil war (for geopolitical reasons largely but whatever) :(

[@dr.lyleevans6915]

sinisterLMN So did France and England (who in particular thought it especially egregious the North instigated a war against a region who wanted to leave, for obvious reasons). They weren’t able to participate because the Union got Russia involved, who parked their Navy in the Atlantic to defend against said incursions.

[@dr.lyleevans6915]

Joe Stemple Succession was not only constitutionally legal, but encouraged by the founding fathers and completely justified given the situation. Do you know where the war started? Fort Sumter, South Carolina. 1,000 miles deep into the Confederacy. What were Union troops doing there? My state of North Carolina didn’t even succeed from the union until northern troops militarily invaded. Learn your history.

[@jmcd9828]

@@dr.lyleevans6915 I thought they were federal troops. That is, US national troops whose presence anywhere in the US should be a normal (not unlawful) situation before a declaration is war. Or in this case a declaration of succession.

[@dr.lyleevans6915]

@@jmcd9828 Sure, but they weren’t in their nation. They were a thousand or so miles deep into a totally different country attempting to take over a military base.

[@kilroy2517]

The real tragedy of the war is that the very small percentage of rich Southerners that owned slaves managed to convince 700,000 poor white southern boys, who had absolutely nothing to gain, to fight and die to protect the rich's right to own slaves. And such is the danger of jingoism. If you find yourself waving a flag, its in your own interest to stop and ask yourself why.

not exactly. the south had a highly efficient agrarian economy. the northern industrial oligarchs felt that they should have exclusive rights to the south's products (cotton primarily) and that southern growers should be satisfied with prices set by the buyers i.e. rock bottom. southern growers large and small were equally affected. ( that's why the poor boys fought alongside the rich plantation owners.) the southern growers felt that they should be able to sell to whoever would pay the best prices i.e. every other industrialized nation. oligarchs in the north persuaded the federal government to impose restrictive tariffs on export of southern goods leading to southern states rebelling . the War of Northern Aggression followed. in the end, the south lost the war and reconstruction followed. reconstruction affected everyone in the south from the richest too the poorest. the northern oligarchs had their captive ( enslaved) supply source. an entire region was theirs to plunder at will. WE paid for the war. WE fought . WE died. the rich just got richer. some things never change. please note. I didn't argue from any moral or ethical viewpoint. they are immaterial to my premise. that premise is that the root cause was economic in nature. all else is "look, there's a squirrel". when you seek the truth, ALWAYS follow the money. it will lead you to the liars. think about it.

[@Realhater1352]

Dana Herron oh yeah. And slavery

[@OldSchool1947]

Dana Herron Well said. I don't think any of us can really understand the different positions from this far away. And many who are the heirs of those who won the war cannot and will not see the circumstances with any nuance. I am a Descendent of Yankees but now live in Virginia and the tragedy of the Southern position has fascinated me. We have done away with slavery and Jim Crow and waged "The War on Poverty," and have made much progress in race relations. We were certainly on the verge of ignoring the "identity " of those we had dealings with. What happened to bring us to this deep division?

[@markmezger1124]

Dana Herron The entire world was invested in the south’s cotton industry, not just the north, banks exceedingly so. The plantation owners were mortgaged to the hilt with their slaves as the collateral. There’s a disconnect in your logic, though. Why would northern “oligarchs” support a fight to end the institution that effectively bankrolled them? By the way, calling it “The War of Northern Aggression” doesn’t really paint your point of view in the best light.

[@kilroy2517]

@ Yes, well said, except that it's not true. 75% of the cotton grown in the south was exported, most to England, and the south provided 80% of the world’s cotton supply. When you're exporting 75%, and you're supplying 80% of the global market, tariffs are a blip that are easily passed on to the buyer. As Mark Mezger points out, those plantations were heavily financed by northern banks, and highly dependent on northern goods. So perhaps your highly efficient agrarian society was only able to function at that level because of the "cheap labor", and the powerful there knew they could not keep their power without it. But what surprises me is that nobody has yet connected the dots to modern times, and how cotton and the "Southern Way of Life" has been replaced by oil and the "American Way of Life". We're still convincing our young people to sacrifice themselves to "protect our freedom" when in reality they're protecting the profits of oil companies.

[@iltc9734]

As an Australian outsider, but with an active and long term interest in the US and history in general, I found this gentleman's talk to be refreshing, reasonable and constructive.

[@wadewilson8924]

Love the Aussies. Do go on podcast is my favorite thing ever. And that’s all I have to say haha

[@nbkoitw]

The south didn't wanna give up that free labor ...

[@jimlawson7789]

nbkoitw If you notice a lot of African-Americans name Jefferson as it was a lot more than free labor. Strom Thurmond went down as the most anti-civil rights republican Who fathered an African-American child. He didn’t want his child with the cleaning lady to have equal rights with the superior race. Let that sink in. Essie May born in 1925 is his DNA daughter.

[@Austin8thGenTexan]

Had it not been for cheap Irish labour in the North, it's questionable how strongly the north would have backed the Civil War... 🤔 🇺🇸

[@emilyhofland8219]

Dude... Real history here... Civil war wasn't about slavery, until the British were deciding about coming to aid the south. Then the Union, declared it was about slavery and Britain wanted no part of it. Now I'm not saying that the south was not fighting for slavery, I guess that might depend on the soldier. I'm sure some joined because they were young, and their friends were being killed. And were unaware of any causes beyond the 2 or 3 families that lived in range of children at this time. But I am saying that the Union was not fighting to end slavery. ... That was just a convenient byproduct of politics and tactics in that moment.

[@kungfufreak360]

Emily Hofland Slavery had everything to do with the civil war. The harsh truth that people so desperately try to cover up.

[@kharnac3973]

@@emilyhofland8219 some people will twist themselves into knots to try to deny the truth.

[@rundstedt1004]

_"The Lost Cause still endures in the 21st century because it serves many sentimental and racial desires in the present."_ - David W. Blight. Professor of American history at Yale University. .

[@hockeygirl8401]

Mic drop on that one

[@matthewheywood8532]

Don’t forget Woodrow Wilson who was a history professor and president of Princeton before becoming US president was one of the biggest backers on this and pushed this theory

[@matthewheywood8532]

wowalinbie except this time the losers wrote this noble lost cause narrative

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

@@matthewheywood8532 as a grad student in history, I feel the need to quote one particular youtuber "WILSOOOON!!!!"

[@matthewheywood8532]

Clockwork King I love that channel and yes he was one of the biggest pushers of the list cause damn you WILSON

[@doubleshotstarfoxx4296]

"The home of Mark Twain and Andre 3000" probably two of the greatest southern writers

[@thisisatr3xjoe474]

A correct statement doe, we do be lovin andre 3000 down here

[@badeugenecops4741]

Yeah......nope. One is a great, educated man. The other.....well, get back to us when you grow up and actually get an education.

[@doubleshotstarfoxx4296]

@@badeugenecops4741 what??? What are you even talking about Andre has a degree and Mark Twain dropped out in the 5th grade

[@tronosphere]

@@doubleshotstarfoxx4296 I believe thats the joke, brother

[@doubleshotstarfoxx4296]

@@tronosphere that's a woosh for me

[@jessicacain7226]

I enjoyed listening to your ted talk. I think as a country the United States needs to teach more on secession, from this standpoint.

[@johnweber4577]

This is a great breakdown of the issue. To their detriment if not their peril too many Southerners hold onto this and need to finally let it go.

[@catsupchutney]

The solution is simple; one should not be proud or ashamed of the actions of others merely because they look like you.

[@Superluminal100]

The is: There are a lot of people out there who want you to pay for what your ancestors did.

[@AD-df5tm]

Listening to people talk about the Confederacy you would think it was around for centuries. In reality it only existed for 5 years. That's it.

[@kdmdlo]

But the bigotry and racism that fueled it had been around since slaves appeared on the continent.

[@nuckinfutzsf822]

The states are still there? They were there before too? Dixieland was written before as well. People want it to not be 100% about slavery because they value other things about it.

[@Kyle36147]

The next time someone says it’s about states rights point out they were right. The states right to protect a once enslaved person by not returning them to the plantation. Nice Andre 3k shout out at the end. 👏🏻

[@ericspencer8093]

That's a really bad argument, dude. They did return to the plantation. As sharecroppers and tenant farmers for another whole century. No point in studying the civil war if you don't know what followed it.

[@rbutler92go]

Great speech. The south have a lot to be proud of, but the lost cause is not one of them

[@421less1]

They really dont though

[@juanmanuelpenaloza9264]

Yeah, like food and NASCAR.

[@timtaylor9298]

@@421less1 You obviously have no idea.

[@CharlieTooHuman]

Literally thought this was Sam Tarly from Game of Thrones.... He’s well-read and educated like him too.

[@williamgirard2412]

Seriously was this dude speaking in front of a dead audience? Why so little reaction? Every word he said deserved a standing applause. I salute you, sir. I don't want to bully or shame but it is obvious from the tone of the speech that it was not easy for him to give such a passionate lesson on this history due to his weight but the simple fact that he did, deserves a loud ovation and a round of bows.

[@ManiaMadden]

I think he was in the south

[@williamgirard2412]

@@ManiaMadden I could get that but is the South so vehemently against the truth? All of them? I don't pretend to be knowledgeable in this aspect, but it seems tough to believe that it would be so overwhelming.

[@colerinne3021]

@@williamgirard2412 it's probably just an uncomfortable topic for all of them, the jokes were good and hopefully provided some release of pressure.

[@GlenGaugh]

The director of the event said that the mics weren't on the audience.

[@chrispfeifer7628]

This lie also needs to be taken out of our children's textbooks. Growing up in Ohio, this stuff was just glossed over.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

I grew up in Ohio. My 8th grade US history teacher didn't just gloss over it. You had a bad teacher.

[@katinapactol-baez1317]

Glossed over is putting it mildly

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@@katinapactol-baez1317 You guys either had bad teachers or "Lost Causer" teachers!

[@carriefield4326]

I grew up in a progressive city in Michigan, and my US history textbook listed the causes of the civil war as a combination of states rights, slavery, and economic tensions. A lot of people in Michigan- with no ties to the south- will tell you the war was primarily about States Rights because that's what's been taught for so long. It's a serious problem, one more part of our country refusing to be held accountable centuries of racism

[@ruthanneperry5203]

If you think Ohio glossed it over you should see what isn’t said in the old south

[@lesleykaychoreography2918]

Great Speech 👏🏽 There’s no better way to move on from our country’s dark past than being honest about it, honor the people who were wronged and be better humans now......for the future.

[@onebadg8]

Well look at you on Tedx. Proud of you! -JohnJ

[@dominique217]

My mother is from a smaller town just outside Monticello. The family owns a working farm there. This man speaks truth.

[@AlGreenLightThroughGlass]

The secess declarations are the best way to assess motivation.

[@sophiasawyer7475]

What a sweetheart. No one should ever have to feel shame for what their forbears have done. And it’s great that he has dedicated his life to educating people in his community about what the confederacy was all about without making them feel terrible for something they had no part in. What a kind soul ❤️

[@rubensanchezramirez7028]

Poor guy the crowd gives him NOTHING

[@ronytheronin7439]

Southerners

[@Headshotphyco]

The organizer said that the audience was laughing but this audio was from his mic so you cant here it.

[@Fundijones]

I learned a lot of this online because most schools I went on the south they don’t teach it. I went to a school named Robert E Lee ffs

[@tedking6790]

Man, tough crowd, this guy was funny and informative, should’ve gotten a laugh here and there jeez

[@matsujonen]

There are some laughs just need to listen hard because the crowd isn't miked

[@teddyzaehmer]

its somehow funny that he seemed so nervous, was swetting for speeking publicly on that stage and then giving us such good points. Felt comforting to listen to that

[@MFM230]

Thank you, Professor Wisecarver, for an enlightening TED talk. I live in California but am a yankee by birth--a New Yorker--for my first 26 years. However, I have two sisters in the South (Georgia and Florida) and have found the South to have wonderful people and a wealth of southern culture.

[@harrystaley3289]

Awesome talk Trae.

[@kmanning9817]

That was an awesomely delivered talk!

[@oscarvillla9485]

This guy is gonna be an excellent professor! Keep shedding light!

[@2GcrayZ]

Good watch. Great accent. 11/10

[@noblelee4765]

Sad that these truths are not paramount in primary and secondary education... Hope he can share this with many more people... One seeks "Higher Education" for reality, not mythology or folly...

[@joebradner572]

I want to hear him go thru every letter of cessation from the union. He tells an important lesson in a matter of fact yet humorous manner. This documentation of the reason for cessation should be aired nationally on a frequent and regular basis until it is drummed thru every mind that is unaware of, or in denial of or flat out lying about the history of the south as it relates to slavery and prejudice and ALL confederate symbols being used today whether they are statues, flags or white hoods.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@Dominus Vobiscum NO SLAVERY, NO CIVIL WAR, PERIOD, END OF STORY!

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@Dominus Vobiscum No debate, just the truth. I know all you "lost causers" have a major problem with the truth and actual verifiable real accepted historical facts. You really don't want to get into this with me.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@Dominus Vobiscum I never said it was the only reason, nobody here said that but you. What I meant was, if slavery didn't exist none of the "other" reasons, would have ever became reasons. They all stemmed from the institution of slavery.

[@joebradner572]

@Dominus Vobiscum Give some evidence. South Carolina cited only slavery as the reason for their cessation from the Union. That is not a caricature of history.

[@mikesharpsongs]

Perhaps all articles of secession should be read on Juneteenth, as part of a celebration of their humiliating defeat?

[@geoffreyokrongly916]

Not an easy topic to talk about. But if we are listening, we are learning. And when we learn, we don’t make the same mistakes. I appreciate this man’s honesty, and his talk.

[@gregoryflynn3781]

Why couldn't all southerners be like this guy!

[@diegomartinez6988]

Gengivitis does not affect his brain.

[@kneelingcatholic]

Gregory Flynn, The need to eat and to live indoors is most likely 'this guy's motivation. I suspect that in the current climate, history professionals don't get tenure if they question the North's righteousness. They conducted an invasion which killed the better part of a million Americans and plunged a whole region of the country into poverty and hunger and disease that would last a hundred years. What's not righteous about that?... ..But the south killed a whole stone fort! (Sumter) 'Bout a million people and a hundred years of misery for one stone fort....sounds like a proportional response to me! (sarcasm) No, really, it reminds me of how John Bolton wanted to plunge us into a war because Iran shot down our model airplane!.... ..Sadly, history studies are being co-opted to serve present needs and not even trying to get an accurate picture of another era. THE orange man has defended confederate statues and so now the 'truth du jour' is all nice people must attack the Confederacy. 'all together now!'

[@zoznack]

Gregory Flynn Why? Because that would require intelligence, open-mindedness, integrity and honesty.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@Jaime Alonzo That's funny...........because its true!

[@zoznack]

Office Meds I read it. I take your point, but on the other hand when should a people, as a whole, accept responsibility for their collective actions, beliefs and support for horrendous actions? When? And why shouldn't they?

[@uniondixie7758]

Away down South in the land of traitors, Rattlesnakes and alligators, Right away! Come away! Right away! Right away, come away! Where cotton's king and men are chattles, Union boys will win the battles, right away! Come away! Right away! Right away, come away! We'll all go down to Dixie, away! Away! Each Dixie boy must understand that he must mind his Uncle Sam Away! Away! We'll all go down to Dixie! Away! Away! We'll all go down to Dixie! (Back to singing) I wish I was in Baltimore, I'd make secession traitors roar right away! Come away! Right away! Come away! Right away, come away! We'll put the traitors all to route, I'll bet my boots we'll whip 'em out, Right away! Come away! Right away, come away! We'll all go down to Dixie, away! Away! Each Dixie boy must understand that he must mind his Uncle Sam Away! Away! We'll all go down to Dixie! Away! Away!We'll all go down to Dixie! (Continue singing) O may our Stars and Stripes still wave forever roar the Free and brave! Right away! Come away! Right away, come away! And let our motto forever be for Union and for Liberty, right away! Come away! Right away, come away! We'll all go down to Dixie, away! Away! Each Dixie boy must understand that he must mind his Uncle Sam Away, away, ! We'll all go down to Dixie! Away, away, we'll all go down...

[@ravissary79]

"You're not responsible for what your ancestors did" You might to explain this to a lot of angry people who clearly don't get this simple concept of justice and individuality.

[@hellodavey1902]

8:24 Wow....I've felt this to be true for so long re: Comedians I couldn't believe someone said it so explictly. ...And the talk already up to that point was already fantastic - concise & profound.

[@bpbrowning78]

I stumbled upon this and and thankful I did. I wish I could explain it as well as he just did...And I’m an Arkansan. I constantly here “get over it” stated regarding slavery but we seem happy to roll around in and revisit it. Time for it to end.

[@losaikosavetheearth4215]

All Southern Documents mention the right to own slaves.

[@therabbi9848]

I mean yea. Its clearly historically inaccurate to say that slavery was not the one catalyst of the civil war. Its just undeniable

[@ninatravis7791]

Great presentation!

[@eorlundandromeda7442]

True Southerners are proud of their past and understand that it is dark. We work hard to right the wrongs and treat every man, women and child with respect and kindness. The story of the Confederacy sickens me to my core , because that is not the South that I grew up in. We are better for the struggles that we brought to our land, but I will be damn if it will ever repeat itself.

[@rstuv8141]

Indeed, the entire country's past is dark. Slavery was embraced by the North as well as the South. Genocide for the native tribes. I suspect the past for most, if not all countries, is equally dark. Some likely more so. Nation-building is not a gentle thing. As Americans I think we should learn from the past and celebrate the good aspects of our nation.

[@phillwilliams7563]

I love this guy so much. As a kid growing up in the south who was very interested in the pursuit in history I definitely know where he is coming from.

[@alancortez1722]

I love southerners, but I hate bigoted ideology.

[@skimrizzle9598]

that means literally nothing

[@johnw3938]

Never forget. They are celebrating a war that they lost. Think about that

[@missnperfection9830]

I'm just waiting for us to build a monument for Osama Bin Laden..oh we wouldn't do that? Why? cause he attacked America and all it stood for...yeah same with the Confederacy!

[@DangerRussDayZ6533]

@@missnperfection9830 Thats a really watered down simplistic take.

[@glhmedic]

Danger Russ so are most if not all Lost Cause believers

[@JezielProdigalSon]

Its pretty common to celebrate historical battles you lost, in Europe too.

[@centrallyintelligentagency]

JailbreakJezie Which ones?

[@michaelmclellan3903]

This is a great presentation.. a lot of the evidence he presented was certainly glossed over by my generation in spite of the fact that the details he brings up are so important and should never be forgotten.

[@essencemylyfe]

This guy is ahead of his time.

[@Matt_1982]

This guy was great in American History X.

[@instantkarma1636]

If your talking about Ethan Suplee check him out now.

[@elizabethbright6890]

OMG! This was so good!

[@Drew791]

I like this man. Very intelligent, and very logical without insane emotions. He's a great historian.

[@Michaelproduce]

Great talk. Thank you. As a fellow Historian you did a great job. Keep the bueno Work! I'll visit the South again because of you!

[@bullmoosemedia]

"...And he never got a professorship at any university in the South..."

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

I'm not sure about him specifically but most university professors (not all but most) are perfectly good, at least the one's I've had in Texas.

[@wordforger]

I got my history degree in Texas and my professor was certain to show us the secessionist documents naming slavery as chief cause of the civil war so there could be no doubt.

[@bullmoosemedia]

@@wordforger It was a joke...but yes... If you just read the primary sources, like several Southern state constitutions specifically state slavery as the main reason for secession. Do bad reality is not acknowledged or accepted if people don't want to read the receipts.

[@widowkeeper4739]

I wholeheartedly agree with Trae Crowder and Trae Wisecarver that there is MUCH the South has to be genuinely proud of, and this bloody war ain't it.

[@widowkeeper4739]

​@Roger Wilco -- Oh man, just food in general! A warm cup of gumbo on a chilly night. BBQ roasted and seasoned to perfection for the church potluck. Fresh peaches and sweet tea on a hot afternoon. Cakes so thick and flavorful they complete your soul...Soul Food, seafood, fresh food, fried food...The South REPRESENTS when it comes to incredible cuisine.

[@widowkeeper4739]

@Roger Wilco -- Yes, but have you tasted a Michigan peach and a Georgia peach and compared them? They are both delicious but not the same! That's the beauty of food. The soil, climate, and water all affects the flavors. The Michigan peach is born and bred to survive the cold climate, lake rain, and sandy soil of Michigan. If you tried to plant a Georgia peach cultivar there, it would die and vice versa...because the Georgia peach is bred for red clay soil, heat, ocean rain, and water. A gumbo cooked and eaten in France will not be the same one cooked in California, which will not be the same as one cooked in Louisiana, even if it's the exact same recipe. They may all be delicious, but this is why people will stop and say, "Hmmm...it's good, but just not quite the same as back home..." Culture is a lot like that. All culture is passed on from somewhere, especially in the States. It doesn't have to be an original thought to have significance, meaning, value, and uniqueness to it.

[@wordforger]

EXACTLY. The food, the music, the Southern hospitality, our strong women, heck, even the dialects... Plenty for Southerners to take pride in without "Woohoo! Our ancestors fought a whole war so they could continue to own people!"

[@dmnemaine]

A lot of people here are commenting on the lack of audience response. I don't think that's the case. What I think is that the audio was edited so that all sound but his voice was muted out. The reason I think this is because there's quite a few odd pauses between his comments that would make a whole lot more sense if there actually was audience response, and he was waiting until he was able to continue.

[@mikesharpsongs]

Agreed, although it might not have been as much editing as it was that there were no audience mics and his mic had a limiter/noise suppression which is designed to cut off all audio at a certain dB level, when no louder source is detected. TedTalks are great, but the amount and quality of the tech used to produce the videos varies dramatically. This was a solid case made by a thoughtful historian; imho, it deserved a little better production.

[@hidigidy]

I'm a 1st generation Texan, and this video brought me right back to high school when I was asked: "Give 3 reasons for the Civil War" on a test. Of course we were supposed to mention state's rights, Texas was the last state to allow slavery. Interesting and educational lecture.

[@DAClarkism]

While I agree that Slavery and it's attempted defense were certainly at the forefront of the Civil War, I do believe the entire picture does get glossed over a bit with it. There were a wide range of political, social, and economic issues at play that revealed themselves in the form of this conflict. I have never forgotten the take The Simpsons had on it when Abu went to take his citizenship test: Proctor: "What was the cause of the Civil War?" Abu: "Actually... there were numerous reasons for..." Proctor: "Just. Say. Slavery."

[@wordforger]

@Robert Dillahuntsville Exactly. Slavery was at the heart of the South's economy, its society, and its politics.

[@outdoorlife5396]

I grew up in the south and he is right. It was about slavery, they had the 13 ghost amendment. Which would have kept slavery. They choice to go to war to spread slavery. I do not agree that all southerners wanted slavery, there were many areas that supported the Union. Western NC, Eastern TN, Clanton Co AL, Jones Co MS, Fort Smith AK. That said, that after July 63 the war was over, so Atlanta, Columbia and Richmond along with other southern cities is on the CSA government. That said, the at Hampton Rds, they wanted to stop the 13 Amendment so they didn't stop the war for what a few more months.

[@kengvang3062]

Good man right there! He is not afraid to speak the truth. Much props 👏 to this man!!!

[@hellodavey1902]

People like this - standing up for the empirical method against the tide of anecdote; the basic principles we’ve learned in our schools against the tide of mass gossip - (especially those at focal points in their own communities ) need a special 100 thumbs up button!

[@gkelly941]

Great talk! Short, succinct, and accurate. And backed up with original primary sources. I would love to hear your explanation about why northerners fought to defeat the rebellion.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

@Albrecht Weyrother Well said! I wish my own countrymen were as well versed as you seem to be in their own history. Thanks for the support! If you really want to see how heated the debates can become, go to the CW site Have History Will Travel. see you there.

[@vickylatham2011]

That we get our history from our historians not our drunk uncles

[@arnoldronning5471]

The speaker is not bashful about stating his opinion strongly but it is actually well researched. Thanks for posting.

[@DiscGolfHunter]

Short, concise, and to the point, and honest. Well done.

[@chewyjello1]

I live in the South and have never understood "Southern Pride." The war is over. We are one country. You never hear about "Northern Pride"....

[@alexmitchell400]

Northern pride is very real. Go use a southern accent in the affluent areas of New york. My father is very well educated and avoids telling associates he is from MS as long as possible.

[@Erik_830]

@@alexmitchell400 yes but Northerners aren't as obnoxious about it as Southerners

[@lb1984]

The only Confederate monuments that should exist are tombstones.

[@jacobfrancis8310]

@Dominus Vobiscum Hmm, interesting. Should we erect a monument dedicated to Hirohito in Honolulu, in order to recognize his “bravery in battle”? Also, why is it that so many Confederate monuments went up in the 1950s and 1960s? Was there something about this era where we needed a reminder of the “bravery and leadership” of Confederate generals?

[@meetmehalfway7982]

cold. I like it

[@Raussl]

@Dominus Vobiscum well, if that was true, they failed considering the list of war crimes the US has commited since then.

[@MrSunrise-]

@@jacobfrancis8310 Hirohito, in battle? In Honolulu? Really? Read your history. The monument would be to Yamamoto, who counseled against war with the United States (having been educated in the US) but nevertheless honored his sailor's oath to follow orders. Other disagreements with his command included the Japanese emphasis on battleships when they should have been building carriers. I think that erecting a statue of Yamamoto in Honolulu would be in incredibly poor taste, but if you're going to make some sort of argument of equivalence, at least make a good one.

[@vilicus77]

I guess you sort of missed the tone and spirit of this particular Ted Talk.

[@endo9902]

this fine man is greatly helping people avoid false conflicts and the associated needless stress

[@tonyfranco5218]

Thanks for the logical and truthful analysis.

[@JupiterTarts]

If Samwell Tarly grew up in the America instead of Westeros.

[@ApertureKat]

Go Trae!!!

[@nash5]

Plain talk. Just what is needed. Thank you.

[@MissJean63]

But history from our drunk uncles is so much more colorful and interesting. I’m glad I watched this to the end.

[@deborahcrawford9079]

3 of my great, great grandfathers fought for the confederacy. I agree TOTALLY that confederate statues need to be removed

[@frankpalancio8471]

Great presentation.. crickets from the audience. Must be a bunch of Confederate apologists.

[@debralucas2224]

Hopefully it planted many seeds :)

[@somewhatinformed1208]

Many people in the audience knew that the Civil War happen before the internet. Most were fighting because I got paid to fight their cousins. 98% of the South did not own slaves and couldn't afford them. Everyone who's really looked into it knows the war was started by the North because the South was making too much money selling cotton overseas.

[@Leo40214]

Usually with darker or more sensitive topics, the audience tends to hold back with applauds and such

[@abacusite]

@@somewhatinformed1208 No. It wasn't. Watch the video you're commenting on.

[@somewhatinformed1208]

@@abacusite are you agreeing the South didn't have the internet during the Civil War? And then asking me to watch the video again. Or could you tell the viewing audience what you were saying no to? What part of History do you want us to deny?

[@Michael-us9rq]

Thank you - excellent presentation. Very clear and no room for interpretation.

[@randomabcabc]

A very brave gentleman. For one to learn good lessons from history, the history must be true.

[@spazz3696]

I have to somewhat disagree while some for most of the leaders and rich folk it was about slavery. For the common Joe it was to them an invasion of their home. Even Robert E Lee was against slavery but had felt his duty to his state to protect it was important. To the south slavery was a states right (in hindsight it isn’t) so it’s all a matter of perspective really. I believe it’s in between.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

Why do you say RE Lee was against slavery? He and his wife owned 200!

[@haveskiswilltravel2164]

That was dope!

[@haveskiswilltravel2164]

@MusicMadMaurice dope means good.

[@evaisthisiaeclaire6365]

Every word spoken by this man is the truth and is an absolute fact.

[@USERNAMEfieldempty]

Hallelujah, Brother. You keep speaking the good, honest truth.