Position:Home>History> Robert E. Lee, Confederate Flag, etc.?

Coming from an educated southerner with a master's in history, not the uneducated Klan rally going, barefoot all the time, hick southerner that was mentioned in an earlier post, I may be able to shed some light on the Confederate hero worship!.

I live in Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy!. We have an avenue here named Monument Ave!. which has huge monuments of Lee, JEB Stuart, Jackson and Davis!. For the most part those who worship these men, especially Lee and Jackson, don't worship them because they were great defenders of slavery!. They worship them because they defended their homeland against an invading army!. Lee, Jackson and Stuart are considered to be great defenders of Richmond and Virginia!. Let's face it, the North did aggressively invade the South!. Yes they did it to preserve the Union, but if you are living in Virginia and your home is being overrun by a Northern army, do you really care why they are there!? You only care that your livestock has been confiscated to feed troops from Maine or New Jersey, your house is being used as a Northern command post, and your fields have been burned to prevent the crops from going to Southern mouths!. Then Lee stands up to them!. Who would you like more if you were from Virginia!? The men who demolished your hometown and starved you out of your home, or the men who protected it from an invading army!?

Another point that is often overlooked is that throughout the Civil War, the American south ceased to be part of the United States of America!. It was a sovereign nation, with its own president, government and constitution!. Like any nation, it needed its heroes!. Its heroes of course became those who were fighting for its existence!.

As a student of history, I have to respect the minds of men like Lee and Jackson, they accomplished quite a bit with very little!. Davis however, I can't say much in his defense!. As for Southern Cross, I think it represents two things!. One, it represents a time in our nations history when we were divided!. Two, it represents the right to stand up against the federal government if one thinks they are overstepping their authority!. Those who think it simply represents pro-slavery are just as ignorant as those who are actually pro-slavery!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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They use the Confederate flag and such as symbolism for slavery, racism and southern sectionalism!. They have patriotism for the U!.S!., but mainly for their own section!. They feel that these men somehow did something to "help" Americans by attempting to keep slavery!. These people are usually poorly educated and you shouldn't pay any attention to them - they spend their weekends going to Klan meetings and burning crosses on people's lawns!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Actually Robert E Lee was well known to be against the war and mostly agreed with the policies of the north!. But he fought for the south because he felt it was his duty because it was his home!. So you could string him up as a traitor along with every American soldier who volunteers for the same reason and see what's left of your army!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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if your raised to believe someones a hero it becomes ingrained, many people really dont see them as traitor they see them as patriots, freedom fighters against an overly powerful government, im a yankee from maine so i dont get hero worship of the confederacy, but to them its their history, i think thats why, most of them ignore the slavery aspect and focus on the states rights aspect which many in the south still believe inWww@QuestionHome@Com

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a patriot in a lost cause, whose loyalty to his state will always command my respect!. Thanks to level headed Republicans like Lincoln, we can reconcile our differences and remain a nation!. Under your attitude, we'd still be fighting a guerilla war against the north!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Lee was a soldier, first ,last always!.He would have cared less about how he was judged by anyone but his troops, family and friends!.Where is it written that we eradicate all who have fought against are particular ideals!?You need to appreciate where people were 140 years ago,not judge them from afar!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Mike man I am of true blue Union descent but unfortunately live in the land of rednecks down here in the south!. Their argument is that this particular flag, actually the battle flag of I believe Lee, was not a symbol of disunion, but rather a symbol of their heritage!. Believe me it makes no sense to me either, as I look at this Lost Causism as a delusional one!. The Confederacy, if it were not for the ineptness of the Union generals in the East, would've never stood a chance!. They had no navy, had no industrial centers, had a severe transportation problem and were outnumbered by the North, even if you include the slaves, who of course were not allowed to fight until the very end when it was too late!. And even if they had won the war, then what!? They would've faced horrible difficulties confronting those problems!.

So long story short, the veneration of their ancestors and a willingness to put them in the best possible light and not think that they died in vain to prolong the institution of slavery and split this country in half explains their adoration of these men!.

Actually Jessica you need to get YOUR history facts straight!. You say slavery was a very small part of the Civil War!. You also say Jeff Davis was your ancestor!. Now I am not going to take anything away from Jeff Davis, although I personally think he would've made a better general than a president!.

You should bear in mind this: if there is no slavery, there is no Civil War!. The main dividing issue in Congress, a Congress Jeff Davis himself sat in on, leading up to the Civil War was the issue over slave states and free states!. The Confederate Constitution makes slavery one of the fundamental concepts of the newly formed government!. You should read it one of these days!.

Alexander Stephens, the VP and one of the writers of this abominable document, even stated in his famous Cornerstone Speech: "The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution—African slavery as it exists amongst us—the proper status of the ***** in our form of civilization!. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution!."

So here's something you should try doing!.!.!. read what men like Jeff Davis were saying about slavery and what particular right they thought the north was infringing upon!. They didn't like those uppity abolitionists shining the light of moral truth into their eyes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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First of all, Mike, you need to get your history facts straight!. You sound like a communist, wanting to "string" people up for wanting to break free of a dictatorship!. And okay, you're from NJ, you're a Yankee by all means, but the war has been over for over 140 years now!.!.!.get over it!!

The South wanted to break free from the Union because some of the Northern States were trying to control the Southerners and tell them how to run their states!. It was not over slavery, by the way!. Slavery was a very small part of it, but most Southerners were too poor to even have much land or any slaves!. It was simply because the Southern States had gotten tired of the condescending attitudes of the Northerners!. That's not treason! That's just wanting the freedom to do things your own way!.

And if you have a problem with the few who still fly a Confederate flag, just close your eyes so you don't have to see it!. Maybe they fly a flag because they are proud of their heritage!. I am proud to say that I am a direct descendent of Jefferson Davis!. I am also very proud to say that I am a descendent of grandfathers and uncles who fought and died for the Confederacy!. And I take great offense at you calling them traitors and being so disrespectful!. They were not horrible men!. They were fighting for something they believed in!.
You're obviously very stupid and ignorant when it comes to the true meaning of the civil war!. And really, it's been 140 years!. Why are you still so angry!? Haha, you're probably an a** to every Southern person that crosses your path!. Grow up!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Lee, Davis and Jackson loved their country!. They spent thier lives defending it!. Then their state left the Union and started it's own country!. So they had a new country!. As men of honour they felt obligated to defend their country, the Confederacy!. These were not simple times and they were not simple decisions!. Each man had a great deal of difficulty leaving the United States!. Lee was offered command of the entire US army but felt obligated to Virginia and the Confederacy, even though he disagreed with the decision to leave!. Davis wept when he left the Senate chamber after Mississippi left the Union and had given many speeches against secession!.
These men had great honour and despite thier personal feelings, fought and served thier country!. You can't pretend to know what they went through in making those decisions!. There was a reason Lincoln didn't want to punish them after the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Have you actually studied anything about Robert Edward Lee!? Or any Confederate generals for that matter!? Not all generals on either side of the war were all noble and good!. But at the same time not all generals are to be reviled!.

You remind me of a kid I went to school with!. Spouting a lot of BS out of supposed knowledge but more out of ignorance and hate!. He was quite lovely!. According to him, we should have gone right ahead and nuked everyone who we'd ever gone to war with or who had ever been our enemy once we got the H-bomb!. And not just what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, completely nuked them right off the face of the planet!.

That's pretty much in line with what you're saying!. Before you start spouting this stuff, maybe you oughta take the time to read about the people you're saying we should have hung!. And I mean really read about them!. Keep in mind that Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Hancock, and all the founding fathers were traitors too!. The thriteen original states were once loyal British colonies!. Then we rebelled against the mother country!. Our founding fathers became traitors just as you say the Confederates were!. So if traitors should be hung, I suppose that goes for the founding fathers as well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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