Part of it is typical public school watered-down history. Growing up in the South, I was spoon fed the hooray for Dixie and the Confederacy myth. It was only when I started looking for myself into what was actually said and done back them that I began to realize that the actual situation was a lot more complicated than a mere North versus South war.
It wasn’t only the schools but the media as well which until the 60s made the rebels out to be heroes. I hated the damn Yankees until I started reading some real history as did almost all southern kids. But for some odd reason I could not hate Lincoln.