So what is the new way in which we are supposed to learn about the Civil War and Civil War battlefields and events? Can Gettysburg itself even be a historical site because, to talk about it is to necessarily talk about the South, its army and prominent Confederates? Can we talk about any part of our history prior to the Civil War? If we talk about the Southern campaigns of the Revolutionary War, we are talking about a rebel army in which some of the generals and other soldiers held slaves. We need to completely ban discussions of the Mexican-American War. That expanded slavery and was imperialist aggression against a non-white country. Can we talk about medieval history? If we do, we would be talking about a Christian Church that, at the time, thought non-Christians were heretics who should be converted, sometimes by force. It also was a society that oppressed women by modern standards. When does history start? Even post-Civil War American history is filled with oppression of blacks — Jim Crow, segregation, etcetera. Even once you get past the 1960s, Libs tell us that Ronald Reagan oppressed blacks so can we talk about the evil 1980s? George Bush also filled his cabinet with “confederates” according to black politicians so can we talk about the 2000s and the second Bush Administration? Its all so confusing.
I think you may see that the way we learn about the Civil War will change, er, evolve.
Our history is under attack in many ways and on many levels. For example, at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, the tone is being shifted to one of “here lived a SLAVE OWNER”, instead of, “here lived George Washington, founder of our great country, who like many prominent men of the period, owned slaves.” The difference between two years ago and a few months ago when I last visited, is considerable. Far worse at Jefferson’s Monticello. It just makes you wince.