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Jefferson Davis' Quiet 200th

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 22, 2008

Nobody likes to play second-fiddle or be portrayed as the bad guy, but that describes Jefferson Davis' rightful place in U.S. history.

Davis was the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, and he championed the continuation of slavery. His decisions pitted him against a beloved president during the bloodiest period on U.S. soil.

Fittingly, Davis' 200th birthday this summer - on June 3 - will be celebrated only by his ancestors and small groups of admirers. There will be no yearlong nationwide gala, no joint session of Congress. And there shouldn't be, either.

Those honors are rightfully reserved for Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, whose 200th birthday is Feb. 12, 2009. President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush helped kick off a yearlong tribute a few weeks ago.

Davis, a Kentuckian like Lincoln, made some positive contributions, granted. He was a West Point graduate, Mexican War veteran and U.S. senator from Mississippi. He served as secretary of war under Franklin Pierce, the nation's 14th chief executive, and according to The Associated Press, played a role in building the Smithsonian Institution, one of our nation's treasures.

But he also played a dark role in history. Federal and state officials are correct to let Davis' birthday come and go without widely recognizing it, a decision that disappoints his ancestors.

Imagine the precedent that would have been set if Davis' 200th were a national event. What would be next - a parade commemorating Gen. William Sherman's earth-scorching "March to the Sea?" It's historic, yes, but shouldn't be celebrated.

The same goes for Jefferson Davis.

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