The same sort of thing can be said to apply to the Confederacy and the Union in our Civil War. Unless we shun truth and good reason, we cannot but reject slavery and recognize that its elimination was a moral necessity, even at a terrible price. Yet there is much to admire about the Old South, and it produced many fine personalities and made essential contributions to America's founding and national character.
I recognize that my detached view arises in part from my lack of Confederate or Union ancestors. My grandparents were immigrants and arrived in an America already defined by the Civil War and much else. Gradually, I came to the view that to be an American in full requires that one know and embrace the country's history without narrow partisanship.
Union, Confederate, slave, slavemaster, abolitionist and so on all have their roles and should be understood and accepted. And sometimes a Confederate flag may find its way to the desk of someone with Union ancestry. I submit that is a different and better thing than descendant of slaveholders arguing that no, really, the Confederacy was not at all about slavery.
To be a true American one must study the Civil War. It is one of my pet peeves that immigrants are not taught about this defining moment in history. Actually, it’s not taught to anyone unless a person expresses interest in it.
Gore Vidal, who whatever his faults, was a Civil War expert, never forgave Norman Poderetz for saying that the American Civil War was as remote to him as the Ming Dynasty. Not the right thing to say to old Gore!
Banning the Confederate flag will do nothing to elevate African-Americans. I think this is well proven.
You were on a roll until you got to this vapid judgement. Any Southerner, slaveholder or not might choose to fight against a Northern Army of invasion.