In a civil war, the goal of the victor is establishing his peace, which must come with a reasonable—and humble—narrative for those who have been defeated.
I might have agreed with you years ago until I became an ardent studier of the Civil War and how it evolved to Reconstruction. Today I hold to the principle that Confederate Monuments should be in place on battlefields and areas that serve to commemorate the war like Richmond National or Oakwood Cemetery.
What your piece misses is the perpetuation of Confederate’s Cause post-War, and in early 1900’s by southern groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Southern Historical Society so as to continue to propagate the “Lost Cause” narrative and to celebrate the cause of Southern White Supremacy. They hope to whitewash the very reason the war broke out, which was the Chattel Slave issue. These statues also served to remind “freed blacks” that the white slave holders were still in charge and they should keep their place.
We have plenty of protected Civil War Battlefields and memorials to carry the history of the nation and soldiers who fought valiantly. I believe they are finer memorials then a statue of the slave holding leader of a Southern Rebellion resting on Memorial Avenue in Richmond. We can agree they fought for their own cause and honor their personal sacrifice but we need not honor the evil causes that existed as well.
I might have agreed with you years ago until I became an ardent studier of the Civil War and how it evolved to Reconstruction. Today I hold to the principle that Confederate Monuments should be in place on battlefields and areas that serve to commemorate the war like Richmond National or Oakwood Cemetery.
What your piece misses is the perpetuation of Confederate’s Cause post-War, and in early 1900’s by southern groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Southern Historical Society so as to continue to propagate the “Lost Cause” narrative and to celebrate the cause of Southern White Supremacy. They hope to whitewash the very reason the war broke out, which was the Chattel Slave issue. These statues also served to remind “freed blacks” that the white slave holders were still in charge and they should keep their place.
We have plenty of protected Civil War Battlefields and memorials to carry the history of the nation and soldiers who fought valiantly. I believe they are finer memorials then a statue of the slave holding leader of a Southern Rebellion resting on Memorial Avenue in Richmond. We can agree they fought for their own cause and honor their personal sacrifice but we need not honor the evil causes that existed as well.
Nothing but a fear of the boogie man. The south poses no threat, it is filled with carpet baggers.
Sherman should have kept burning.