Originally Posted by Birdwatcher
On this whole "why we fought the war" thing....

The Confederates were literate and educated folks and took pains to clearly elucidate exactly WHY they did what they did, in their own words, based upon reality as they experienced it.

First off there's Confed Veep's Alexander Stephen's "Cornerstone Speech" in which he clearly and carefully states that slavery was both the rock upon which the Confederate Constitution rested and the cause of secession in the first place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone_Speech

Then there's five Confederate States' (collectively containing around 65% of the Southern Population) "Declaration of Causes of Secession" in which they spelled out their reasons for taking this momentous step.

http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/declarationofcauses.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Slavery front and center in all of 'em.

Like I said, it ain't me saying this, it was THEM.

Bend, twist, recast, rephrase it all ya want.

Birdwatcher


I don't really have a dog in this fight since I'm from the West although I did have some relatives from the border states. Not sure which side they fought on.

It's hard to argue that slavery wasn't a key factor in secession. And slavery absolutely needed to be ended. Nevertheless, when you look at why individual confederates chose to fight I would imagine that defending their homeland was at the top of the list. The politicians and the wealthy were heavily invested in slavery, but average folks were likely responding to what they perceived as an invasion. So I can see why people look at the battle flag as part of their heritage. Not only that, but it was the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia and that was one hell of an army.

The fact is that different people perceive the battle flag differently. I'm sure most black people see it as a symbol of oppression which is understandable given its association with slavery and with segregationists in the 60's. And many white southerners see it as part of a proud heritage. The problem is that it's very difficult to reconcile these radically different viewpoints.

I think the battle flag is on its way out as something to display at state capitols. It simply won't be part of government displays going forward. Statues of the confederate generals are a whole different thing and I think it will be hard for the left to get rid of those. I certainly hope they don't succeed with that.