Legislature should honor better class of Tennesseans
I don’t fault Gov. Bill Lee for obeying what the law compels him to do. I do, however, criticize both Lee and the legislature for not delivering better law. Fortunately, they have an opportunity to improve our law and also celebrate Tennesseans far more significant to our state values.
Tennessee Code Annotated § 15-2-101 says that the governor must recognize specific people and days for “appropriate ceremonies expressive of the public sentiment befitting the anniversary of such dates.” Among those days are Jan. 19, “Robert E. Lee Day”; June 3, “Memorial Day” or “Confederate Decoration Day”; and July 13, “Nathan Bedford Forrest Day.”
It is one thing to recognize and celebrate people and history in Tennessee state history that are important to our history and virtues. We memorialize Tennessee’s history in the Civil War by preserving battlefields, historical sites and artifacts of our ancestors in museums and books. We don’t forget them; we preserve and learn to avoid their mistakes.
It’s quite another thing to celebrate the Confederacy and its members with “appropriate ceremonies expressive of the public sentiment.”
Robert E. Lee has an attachment to the Confederacy as a whole, but he’s not a Tennessean. Confederate Decoration Day celebrates a long-dead movement that no longer reflects any of the values of the state. And while Nathan Bedford Forrest is a Tennessean with a place in state history, he’s not worthy of celebration, then or now.
Tennessee’s history is rich with examples for all citizens to emulate. Next year I recommend we replace Forrest with Sergeant Alvin C. York, a World War I veteran. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for taking out a machine gun nest and capturing 132 German soldiers. He received medals from the United States, France and Montenegro. They celebrated him, and so should we.
Instead of Robert E. Lee, we should celebrate Davy Crockett. The log cabin where Crockett was born is in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His outsized influence extended beyond Tennessee and into the founding of Texas. Crockett opposed many of the American Indian removal policies of his day, which led to the Trail of Tears. Crockett’s beliefs cost him politically, and ultimately they cost him his life, at the Alamo. We need more Tennesseans to emulate Crockett’s principled stand, whether before Congress or elsewhere.
Finally, Tennessee’s music history is rich with people worthy of celebrating.
Our history includes luminaries like Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl and Chet Atkins. Our famous politicians and thinkers include Nobel laureates Cordell Hull and James Buchanan, the latter of whom holds a special place for his connection to Middle Tennessee State University.
Tennessee has a deep roster of people worth celebrating and emulating. The Civil War was a brief but profound period that does not wholly define Tennessee’s past or future.
We should celebrate Tennesseans who cause us to stand firm on our shared principles as we move into the future.
That’s the Tennessee way. The legislature should lead us in that direction by amending TCA § 15-2-101 to reflect Tennesseans who cause us to celebrate each other.
Daniel Vaughan is an attorney in Lebanon, Tennessee, and a columnist for the Conservative Institute.