A leftwing scribbler on some website recently called me “a White Nationalist.” He thought that was a conclusive judgment. But I am not now and never have been a “White Nationalist.”

I have long been called a Southern nationalist, but that is a different matter. The Southern people are real. White nationalism is merely a Yankee ideology, an abstraction with no base. Their lack of any base explains why many of them have tried to attach themselves to the Southern cause, as in the Charlottesville event.

Unfortunately, that tendency has made some headway in the Southern cause. I recently criticized some writer on a Southern site for praising the German cause in World War II. A reply from this “White Nationalist”  ridiculed me for being a clueless fool. This newcomer, probably not even a Southerner, was apparently unaware of my 60 years’ service in the cause.

Can you imagine anything more anti-Southern than a goose-stepping German? Nazis boastfully invading smaller countries and making war on women and children? Some few Americans after World War II began to praise the Nazi regime for its opposition to Communism, given that the Soviet Union was the real victor of the war.  This was and is stupid but characterises some of the Alt-Right these days.

To begin with, Adolph Hitler was not a white nationalist, he was a German nationalist, quite willing to sacrifice millions of his own people  for a mystical idea of a thousand-year Reich. True, the Nazi regime made noises about  Nordic supremacy, called Slavs subhuman, and attacked Jews, another white people, while governed by such great examples of Nordic manhood as Himmler and Goebbels.

In fact, Hitler was responsible for the death of more white people than anyone in history. Look at the newsreels. A large part of the German population and army was Slavic. There were plenty of tall, blue-eyed Poles, Russians, Americans, and French fighting the Nazis, not to mention that Britain, the Low Countries, and Scandinavia were more “Nordic” than Germany.

When Martin Luther King moved his civil rights campaign north to Chicago, he was shocked to find there no black community such as he was used to in the South. The black people were mostly lost souls, cast adrift in a world of phony Yankee virtue.

When we began the modern Southern movement nearly a half-century ago, our interest was in the devolution of power and preserving our particular culture.  We understood that African-Americans were and always had been part of our South. In fact, their American roots run deeper than most non-Southern whites in the U.S. today.  I submit that African Americans are not and never have been the primary enemies of Southern identity. We need to identify our real enemies–unrepentant and clueless Yankee nationalists, white or otherwise.


Clyde Wilson

Clyde Wilson is a distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of South Carolina where he was the editor of the multivolume The Papers of John C. Calhoun. He is the M.E. Bradford Distinguished Chair at the Abbeville Institute. He is the author or editor of over thirty books and published over 600 articles, essays and reviews and is co-publisher of www.shotwellpublishing.com, a source  for unreconstructed Southern books.

31 Comments

  • Dan says:

    Mr. Wilson,

    Well said. The Southern nation comprises a rich tapestry of peoples, cultures, and traditions unified into a coherent whole. Any honest and objective analysis of the South must begin with this axiom. Falsely equating Southern nationalism with “white nationalism” should be seen as little more than an attempt to diminish and delegitimize Southern identity – little more than Yankee triumphalism.

    The final line of your article rings true. When I moved from my native Pennsylvania to North Carolina, I recognized that I was not simply relocating to “another part” of the US, in the same way that one might relocate to a more comfortable chair across the room. I recognized that I was, truly, an immigrant, moving to a different nation with its own customs and traditions. To that end, I elected to shut my mouth, listen, and learn from folks who have articulated said tradition. I certainly feel that I’ve been enriched by the experience.

  • Paul Yarbrough says:

    “When Martin Luther King moved his civil rights campaign north to Chicago, he was shocked to find there no black community such as he was used to in the South. The black people were mostly lost souls, cast adrift…
    …We understood that African-Americans were and always had been part of our South. In fact, their American roots run deeper than most non-Southern whites in the U.S. today. I submit that African Americans are not and never have been the primary enemies of Southern identity. We need to identify our real enemies–unrepentant and clueless Yankee nationalists, white or otherwise.”

    I went through 12 grades as a young man in public schools in Jackson, Mississippi. They were segregated by race for the entirety. I finished in ’61.
    We were exposed and taught from even the early grades of good and capable men. Two of the men often taught of and about as to their great character, was Jefferson Davis (whom we loved) but as well, one of the truly great Southern men of wisdom and courage, Booker T. Washington.
    When I think of BTW, what I was taught and his various acolytes, then see the monstrous fools like MLK, Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton et nauseum (also idiots like Brian Kilmeade and his comic books about BTW) I get vicious in my thinking when I hear or see these media types giving them credit for honoring the negro race of people.

  • David LeBeau says:

    Dr. Clyde Wilson is a Southern gem.
    “I submit that African Americans are not and never have been the primary enemies of Southern identity. We need to identify our real enemies–unrepentant and clueless Yankee nationalists, white or otherwise.”

    If you haven’t done so yet, I recommend that you read an essay by another great Southerner, ME Bradford titled “GEORGE WALLACE AND AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE” dated 1975. I once read it on Internet Archive, but it’s no longer there.
    A piece from Bradford’s essay: “Our important enemies are not black, and the reason we have a quarrel with some Negroes lies in the nefarious influence of others upon them.”

    The Abbeville Institute has been a blessing to me.

  • Harrell says:

    Bravo.

  • Cody Davis says:

    It is absolutely true that there are white nationalist types that want to run over the Southern people in favor of an abstraction. They view America as just some kind of pan-European melting pot, which is ridiculous. But, to take that sentiment and use it to suggest that white people don’t even exist as a category is absurd. White people do exist, and clearly Mr. Clyde acknowledges this when he suggests that Jews are white, which is an outrageous statement. Jews are not, and can never be, white. Jews are Semitic, whites are Japhetic (See Genesis 9 and 10).

    Mr. Clyde may be knowledgeable about the South, but he does not appear to be knowledgeable about Hitler or Nazis. Hitler wanted to work with the other white nations of Europe very much. He attempted peace at every available opportunity and only fought when he had no other option. It was the US and their allies (certainly among which were Jews) that invaded smaller countries and killed women and children. Hitler was not American, he was German, but he was friendly towards Americans until they gave him no other choice. I’m not aware of any legitimate evidence that suggests Hitler was obsessed with mysticism. In fact, the opposite appears to be true. His speeches suggest that he was a very pragmatic person, not concerned with abstractions. Africans (this is what Jefferson Davis called them, not “African-Americans”) have been apart of the South throughout its history, but never as Americans, and that will never be the case. A political body requires a certain degree of homogeneity to function properly and each race has its own role to play in the world. Attempting to create a multi-cultural society on the basis of a destruction of racial identity is a repeat of the Tower of Babel, and is in that sense, Satanic. Black people need not be enemies, but they cannot be white, and they cannot be American. I challenge anyone to present evidence that Antebellum Southerners understood things any other way. The Dred-Scott decision did not arise from a vacuum.

    • George says:

      Concur.

    • THT says:

      Yes. White is a category. Others are brown, black, red, yellow… which others are there? And how many cultures represent each color category?

    • Catherine Harris says:

      Y’all have missed Dr. Wilson’s point. “White” is a European/Yankee construct/category which was solidified by the “science” of eugenics post-1880. It has nothing to do with Confederate culture, which was rich and diverse. Dr. Wilson is correct in his presentation.

    • THT says:

      My first question is what is an American to you? That term did not come into being until around 1500, so who are Americans? Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, English, Scottish, Irish, Welch, French depending on how pure there Japhetic DNA is?

      It seems that your argument is trying find an equivalence with Japhetic, Semetic, and Hamitic DNA with regions of the world. And furthermore, it seems that within the boundaries of this argument, you are saying that all of the genetic dispersement of Shem, Japheth, and Ham maintain a respective primary culture. While that is an interesting subject in and of itself, this is NOT what this article was about.

      Culture is the expression of individuals that make up a family, tribe, community, nation, and, yes, even genetics, i.e. race. The members of these groups inevitably express themselves by ways of the material world, even religiously and spiritually. That is, by realizing and instantiating their thoughts into speech and action, they make it known what their essence is. As a result, it is inevitable that cultures are not shared with other cultures. It cannot be denied that different cultures seek each other out. This is exemplified in trade, exchange, and transactions.

      Now, one can argue that culture sharing is bad and shouldn’t be done. And one can argue that one should not abandon his culture because he admires another, or that one should not accept anyone into his culture. And one can even say that culture starts at the spectrum of reflected light from melanin production from gene expression. Those are different arguments. But, if those ends are produced, the means tend to be somewhat harsh. That is “protecting ones culture from contamination and maintaining its purity”. That is a very tough nut to crack and that is usually based in ideology and politics.

      You are arguing something much different than what Mr. Clyde is arguing. Much different.

      • THT says:

        *Correction. I said “it is inevitable that cultures are not shared”. Meant to say, “the sharing of culture is inevitable.”

      • Harto says:

        THT, you stated:

        “But, if those ends are produced, the means tend to be somewhat harsh. That is ‘protecting ones culture from contamination and maintaining its purity’. That is a very tough nut to crack and that is usually based in ideology and politics.”

        Well said. Obviously there is something to be said for the preservation of culture and tradition. However, it is undeniable that cultures shift and change over time; indeed, if they didn’t, the human race simply never would’ve advanced past its most primitive cultures. As you astutely stated, governments and ideologies that seek to “preserve” – create, really – an idealized “pure” culture will often take uniquely vicious actions to enforce it. Unfortunately we can see some folks leaning in that direction within these comments.

        If I recall correctly, Richard Weaver described the Old South as (paraphrasing here) “a splendid hall of tapestries in which one may never *want* to live, but may learn something about *how* to live.” This, I think, should be our goal: to keep alive the flames of the many Southern cultures and traditions, not to worship the ashes of an idealized South, perfected only in memory, that never was and perhaps can never be.

        • Cody Davis says:

          @Harto, the goal of the Abbeville Institute, as stated by Mr. Livingston is to “preserve and present what is true and valuable in the Southern tradition”. “The” Southern tradition, not many. I have not said anything that would come anywhere close to advocating for “uniquely vicious actions” to enforce some kind of abstract concept. This is all made up, and I encourage people to actually read my comments and not whatever nonsense is being falsely claimed about my statements.

        • THT says:

          @Harto,

          “This, I think, should be our goal: to keep alive the flames of the many Southern cultures and traditions, not to worship the ashes of an idealized South, perfected only in memory, that never was and perhaps can never be.”

          The South is a tragic enigma. That the Yankees feared it so much and had the convenient scapegoat of slavery to quench that fear makes it every more mysterious.

    • Catherine Harris says:

      “With surprise and horror I heard this announcement of a policy which seeks, through poverty and degradation, the extinction of a race of human beings domesticated among us. We, sir, stand in such a relation to that people as creates a feeling of kindness and protection. We have attachments which have grown with us from childhood — to the old servant who nursed us in infancy, to the man who was the companion of childhood, and the not less tender regard for those who have been reared under our protection. To hear their extinction treated as a matter of public policy or of speculative philosophy arouses our sympathy and our indignation.” Sen. JEFFERSON DAVIS, 1848, in response to New York Senator John Dix (who still has a military base named for him).
      Jefferson Davis’ relationship to his slaves, particularly his continuing relationships with freedmen (and those who had always been free men) post-war – was of friends and family. All this “speculative philosophy” being imposed by New South progressives – let alone those who resonate more with today’s “alt-right” – is revisionist and foreign. –

  • Barbara says:

    I agree with Cody Davis. Jews are our enemies and they do not wish to be labeled as white because they have utter contempt for us. The men making trillions from killing Gentiles with vaccines are Jews. The ones behind the Great Reset are Jews.

    I also have come to admire Hitler and if not for the Jews he would have been considered one of the greatest men who ever lived. It’s no crime to love your own people and seek great things for them. Hitler recognized that the Jews were a threat to Germans and he was right.

    Jews are the ones behind all of the wars and their motto is kill the best Gentiles. They are destroying all life on earth and all new stunning and deadly technology is in their hands. They burned Hawaiian children alive during the so called fire which was actually a high energy weapon. They are godless and evil.

    The Tennessee legislature has passed laws to purchase gold and other precious metals to be used to back up our own state bank as a result of the Jewish machinations. How can anyone believe that Hitler was wrong and Jews are white? How are they able to force central banks into every country? They intend to get rid of fiat money and force a digital currency in order to control everyone who gets to live and is not slaughtered by them. How can you demonize Hitler while watching what Jews are doing to Palestinians in their own country?

    The one problem I have with Abbeville Institute is that writers often write as though they are clueless about the fact that this country and the rest of the west are being destroyed. The borders of every white country are open. Thanks to the international Jew.

    • Catherine Harris says:

      It’s ironic that you accuse Southerners of being clueless about the destruction of the West. The Confederates lost Lincoln’s War, and we continue to fight to maintain our culture. I would say, rather, that this essay presses your buttons.

      • Barbara says:

        At this point we are merely remembering a way of life that no longer exists. We are different from yankees. They came from southern England while we were border people.

        Those today who have money and power are creating a Technocracy. They are planning a future in which people will be bio-mechanical. Elon Musk is now implanting his neurolink into humans. They put stuff in the vaccines that altered DNA which will be passed onto future generations. They are able to vaccinate the willing and then those people can vaccinate others, they have that technology. They are reducing the world’s population. They geoengineer the planet with the result that people get sick and die and they lower men’s sperm count. 5G towers kill wildlife and people and make people sick. Smart meters also make people sick and give them cancer. You cannot have your smart meter removed without having to pay a fortune.

        Where in all of this is a southern culture?

    • THT says:

      I don’t think that is the Abbeville Institute’s mission, that is, to expose the International Jew. It seems like this here Cody feller has that mission, though. So you can get the best of both worlds of reading about Southern History here then moseying over to Cody’s website and finding out now to stop the International Jew.

      :rolleyes:

      • Barbara says:

        Can you tell me why we are cannon fodder for a Greater Israel but not allowed to defend our own borders?

        • THT says:

          Um, well, that would be a very long drawn out conversation on many complex concepts that there surely is not enough room to discuss here in this comment forum.

          But, to summarize in a dumbed down, highly reductive cliche , it is because The Supreme Law Of The Land deems that it is Necessary and Proper for the General Welfare Of The Perfect Union which has the implied and uniformed consent of Them The People.

    • THT says:

      “How can anyone believe that Hitler was wrong…”

      Hitler certainly had an argument regarding the over representation of Jews in the banking and finance industries. But, I don’t think that is what Mr. Wilson is arguing. What he is arguing is the the chose methods of “redistributing their wealth” that Adolf chose were on the controversial side.

      “…and Jews were white.”
      And, Mr. Wilson is surely was referring to the spectrum of reflected light from melanin produced from gene expression in some Jews tends to be considered “white”.
      I can’t vouch for him, though. Just a hunch.

      I think the real questions are, how can anyone believe that Mr. Clyde Wilson believes that Jews are white and Hitler was wrong.
      \sarc.

  • Tony c says:

    Dear Barbara

    I disagree with most of what you stated about the Jewish People, the Palestinians, Hitler and the rest. Please keep reading the Abbeville essays regardless and you will be enlightened eventually.

    Cheers
    Tony

    • Cody Davis says:

      @Tony c, Read my website, CodyDavis.Substack.com, and maybe you will be “enlightened”. You responded to her in such a rude way but didn’t say anything about my comment because you don’t have any response. You know that we are right, but you will use sociopathic manipulation tactics on the people agreeing with me because you think you can pick them off one by one. It’s not gonna happen, truth prevails.

      By the way, you say you disagree with what she said about the Palestinians, and the only thing she said was that they have “their own country”. You are a genocidal maniac.

      • Catherine Harris says:

        Says the commenter so very worried about “sociopathic manipulation tactics” to a two-sentence comment.
        One ought instead observe a few commenters who are apparently skeered of allowing Dr. Wilson’s essay to stand or fall on its own merits, and wish instead to ensure that anyone referencing this essay has the option of being diverted by the usual topics and the usual darkness.

  • sachaplin says:

    There is a bit of vitriol in some of these comments –and how wonderful that is! I, for one, am delighted that folks are permitted to speak their minds. Such comments to a Wall Street Journal article would have been taken down immediately.

    Bravo to Abbeville Institute for leaving up all comments.

    • George says:

      Is it a praiseworthy special dispensation of grace that an opinion is not being suppressed? Especially when there is a wealth of evidence available in support? Even in the face of suppression of that evidence? Shouldn’t it be normal to be able to express views? If it’s not normal, WHY is it not normal, and should that maybe suggest more inquiry is appropriate?

      Even if we draw a different conclusion from that evidence, the maniacal nervousness when someone speaks in the unapproved way should make more people scratch their heads and pause.

  • William Quinton Platt III says:

    We could have never fought the united States without the support of our black and “native” populations, free and slave alike. No yankee State ever freed a slave…they merely gave ample warning to get rid of blacks so said State would no longer have to worry about a vibrant, growing black population. Northern States such as Illinois amended their State Constitutions to prohibit blacks from entering…Oregon was admitted in 1859 as a Whites-only State.

    Free blacks in the South could own property, businesses, slaves…when they could not move to Lincoln’s State.

    Every stripe on the US flag represents a slave State…yankee shipyards built every slave ship…yankee banks finance the slave trade.
    Thousands of blacks fought for the Confederacy…I recently educated a yankee on this fact…he came back with, “but most were just teamsters and cooks, and laborers”…and I asked him if logistics were important in a war.

    The controllers of the narrative have lost their monopoly…no longer will the winners of the war be able to lie without challenge.

    • Harto says:

      “Thousands of blacks fought for the Confederacy…I recently educated a yankee on this fact…he came back with, ‘but most were just teamsters and cooks, and laborers’…and I asked him if logistics were important in a war.”

      An excellent comeback. Too many folks think that those who fight are merely those who hold a rifle. An army can’t act without food and munitions. With this simple understanding, one can see the obvious truth in your response.

  • THT says:

    Lots a hollerin’ in here

    I am more weary of ideologies than I am pigmentation and libations. I guarantee the worst ideology is the Yankee one. And them boys are Snow White!!!! Go figure.

    Lol.

    • CR McGarrah says:

      No, the Yankee Army had more blacks in its soldier’s ranks than we did, it also had American Indians, Tejuanos/Mexicans, as well as whites.

Leave a Reply