We'll be celebrating Memorial Day in a few weeks and I intend to do a dedicated post for the occasion but there are other things I'd like to say on the topic so let me get started here.
Confederate history and heritage are a big deal where I live. Within 20 miles of my home, there were 6 Civil War battles and over half of all Civil War battlefields are within 100 miles. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson were fellow Virginians and their battlefield strategies influenced modern day warfare. As a result, here in Virginia and throughout the South, they and others have been lionized with memorials.
However, their "cause" was marred by association with slavery. That's manifesting itself today in calls to purge society from all of these tributes. The logic is that if someone defended the institution of slavery, they were by default, a racist, and not deserving of such honor.
Personally, I agree with the idea of not publicly recognizing the Confederacy itself. The Confederacy was formed to defend slavery, was rightfully defeated, and is unworthy of honor. For that reason, I think it's a bad idea to use public funds to create a Confederate Memorial of fly a Confederate flag in a state-recognized setting.
But when it comes to recognizing individuals, I think we have to evaluate the person as a whole on their own merits. For example, through his own words, Jefferson Davis, even in defeat, can be shown to be a vile racist with no redeeming virtues worthy of honor.
However, upon his surrender, Robert E. Lee humbled himself in defeat and went on to serve our nation as an educator. Why can't we honor him for his contributions to the United States and his devotion to the service of her people?
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