What's The Story Behind Jasper Cullen?

Thanks to the popularity of Anne Rice's southern gothic novels, vampires have long had an odd relationship with the dark history of the South. When "Interview With the Vampire" came out in 1976, plantations of the South were celebrated. Louis is the proud owner of a plantation, and there is no further conversation about his unethical practices. "True Blood" is set in Louisiana, while "The Vampire Diaries" took the strange stance of putting Damon (Ian Somerhalder) in the Confederate Army. Unfortunately, "Twilight" is no different. Jasper was also on the Confederate side. And while "The Vampire Diaries" at least attempts to cover their bases by having Damon desert the army for moral reasons, Jasper is given no such excuse.

Canonically in Stephenie Meyer's books, Jasper is the youngest major in Texas and even lied about his age to enlist. "Eclipse" makes this just as uncomfortable by glossing over this fact. Not even the feeblest attempts were made to draw a connection between the Newborn Army and the atrocities of the South. Could the vampire army be a metaphor for the crimes perpetrated at the time? Maybe. But we will never know. Jasper never makes mention of the politics of the time or if he has grown and learned since then. All we know is that he is a great fighter who was so passionate about the South's right to slavery that he insisted on being part of the Confederacy.