This course was being taught
during the fall semester when it
became obvious that the instructor
believed that 70 percent of
slaves were happy with their lot.
This was his conclusion after
studying both the diaries of Union
soldiers and a series of
interviews made in the 1930s with
former slaves. The teacher, a
member of the Sons of Confederate
Veterans, acknowledges that
slavery was wrong, but feels “we
cannot allow political
correctness to rewrite history
or wipe out our heritage.” Eugene
D. Genovese, an expert on slavery,
thinks this instructor is
wrong, but recognizes that the
slaves’ narratives are open to
varying interpretations. “On academic
freedom grounds,” he would
not be in favor of removing the
course.
This was the initial opinion of
the college President: “varying
views may be presented that are
not necessarily those of the
college.” But the U S Commission
on Civil Rights, and members of
the state and local NAACP, kept
up the pressure, and the course
was canceled before it met for
its last session. One NAACP
official felt that since the course
“distorts” history and
produces racial tension, it should
simply not be taught. The
college President based his final
decision on the course’s
offensiveness, and the impression
that the college deliberately
was offending people.