Obama: Governor McDonnell's Slavery Omission Move Was Unacceptable
President Obama told ABC News it was "unacceptable" for Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to omit any mention of slavery from a proclamation designating April Confederate History Month.
"I don't think you can understand the Confederacy and the Civil War unless you understand slavery. And so, I think that was an unacceptable omission. I think the governor's now acknowledged that," Obama said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos.
McDonnell issued an apology earlier this week and revised his proclamation to call slavery an "evil and inhumane practice."
Va. Gov. Concedes Omission In History Month Decree
Gov. Bob McDonnell has conceded a "major omission" for not noting slavery in declaring April Confederate History Month in Virginia.
As part of his mea culpa, McDonnell inserted into the proclamation a paragraph condemning slavery as "evil and inhumane" and blaming it as the cause of the Civil War.
In a 400-word statement issued by his office, McDonnell said the failure to include a slavery reference was a mistake and apologized to any Virginian who might have been offended or disappointed.
On Tuesday, McDonnell said in a telephone news conference that he wasn't focused on slavery in drafting the decree but on Civil War history.
More Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than any other state, and Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy.
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Sources: ABC News, Politico, Google Maps
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