THE word antebellum dates back to the 18th century “plantation era.”
The term is used to describe America before the civil war erupted and has a racial charge that ties back to slavery ownership.
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What does antebellum mean?
The literal meaning of the word antebellum is “pre-war”, stemming from the Latin phrase, ante bellum.
It is a term that highlights grand southern plantation-style architecture with columns, large fields, and a fancy aesthetic.
Plantation-style homes are popular in the South
Antebellum generally refers to white ownership of black slaves prior to the Emancipation Proclamation.
What happened in the antebellum South?
Before the Civil War, Southern states thrived off of free slave labor to work plantations and focus on tending to crops and building architecture.
Black slaves were brought from Africa to the South during colonial periods to grow the economy during the 17th and 18th century and were subjected to white rule and terrible living conditions.
The antebellum South is known as a racist period in American history which granted zero rights to black people and profited off their slave labor under white power.
Former president Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves of the South after the Civil War
As a result, Northern and Southern states began to increase tensions due to major disagreements on slavery, resulting in a four year long Civil War.
Ultimately, the North defeated the South and slavery was abolished in America after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln.
Why has Rachael Kirkconnell been accused of racism?
Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell is in hot water after photos of her attending an antebellum plantation-style party surfaced online.
The 24-year-old was slammed on social media for condoning alleged racist behavior and for “liking” confederate flag photos on Instagram.
Rachael issued a statement on Instagram after photos of her made the rounds on the internet wearing an antebellum dress for a fraternity party.
She pledged to educate herself while encouraging others to learn from her mistakes, writing: “I’m here to say I was wrong. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.”
She continued: Racial progress and unity are impossible without (white) accountability, and I deserve to be held accountable for my actions.”
The contestant was also alleged to have liked racist social media posts in the past.
One snap that she had liked shows two Caucasian women dressed in a hula outfit posing in front of a Confederate flag.
In addition, she was also slammed for dressing up in a Native American costume and for engaging in controversial social media activity.
What did Chris Harrison say?
Bachelor host Chris Harrison defended Rachael from social media trolls, saying: “We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion. Because I’ve seen some stuff online… again, this ‘judge, jury, executioner’ thing where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart.
He continued: “I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet, and until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say [anything]?”
After facing backlash from fans of the show, Chris announced on February 13 that he was formally stepping down from his role in the franchise.
Bachelor host Chris Harrison is stepping down from the franchise for defending Rachael during the photo scandal
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