It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo
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🧵 Gift Link: You’ve probably heard this one: Before the Civil War, Americans felt a stronger allegiance to their state than to the country as a whole. That’s why people said “The United States are …” — plural — 1/
10:36 AM - Apr 10, 2023
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It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo
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In response to It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo.
before the war and “The United States is …” — singular — afterward. And that’s why Virginia-raised, U.S. Military Academy-trained Army officer Robert E. Lee declined Abraham Lincoln’s offer to lead Union forces and chose the Confederacy instead; his natural loyalty was to his 2/
10:37 AM - Apr 10, 2023 (Edited)
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It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo
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home state. The thing about plural vs. singular isn’t true, according to linguist Mark Liberman. But that’s not all: Lee’s cousin Samuel Phillips Lee, despite also being a native Virginian, was a Navy officer, and when the war broke out, he famously said, 3/
10:39 AM - Apr 10, 2023
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It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo
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In response to It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo.
“When I find the word Virginia in my commission, I will join the Confederacy.” This cousin commanded several vessels and blockading squadrons, for the Union, throughout the war. 4/
10:40 AM - Apr 10, 2023
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It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo
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In response to It’s Dr. Brown To You, Kiddo.
The “Lee hated slavery but had no choice” line is one of the last bits of Lost Cause apologia to linger in our collective historical memory. Although it’s true that most military officers from Southern states joined the Confederacy, it was by no means all of them. 5/
10:40 AM - Apr 10, 2023
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