I ask one favor dear reader; please read this entire post before commenting.
I am descended from both Union and Confederate soldiers. My family can count German immigrants, New England founding families and a Virginia attorney turned cavalry general. My roots run deep on both sides. I was also a Civil War museum director for 13 years, a Civil War living historian for 31 years and a life-long history fanatic. It has been with much concern that I watch our current debate on Confederate monuments. It is time we right a terrible wrong, but before we can do so, we must stop and take a deep breath.
Some would say that slavery was a New World holocaust and it must be treated as such. Memorials of those who fought to preserve it must be eradicated from memory, or at the very least, removed from public sight. They claim that no virtue could exist among those who fought for the Confederacy. Others claim that that the Civil War was not about slavery and that Confederate symbols are a commemoration of heritage and have nothing to do with hatred. Both sides claim absolute certainty that they are right. Radicals on both sides have heated the debate so that those who are in the middle have been silenced. Thoughtful debate is no longer possible, but we must make room for it.
I will admit that my family owned slaves two centuries ago. That much I know for sure. I also have family that were not slaveholders. I cannot apologize for my family that did own slaves, as I am not able to speak for them anymore than I can speak for anyone else's deceased ancestors. I can say, on my own behalf, that slavery is an evil practice and it should have been eradicated at the end of the Revolution. That is my opinion looking back on history. I can also say that we as a nation should be working to eradicate slavery around the world today. To claim that my ancestors, who were Irish, and may have been held as slaves at some time in history is completely irrelevant to any discussion on the African slave trade. To claim discrimination on their behalf as American immigrants is also irrelevant to any discussions of Jim Crow laws. My ancestors did not suffer discrimination in my lifetime nor have I. The same cannot be said for those descended from Africa. I have personally witnessed hate crimes when I was a police office, faced down white supremacists while on duty, and seen the hate caused by racial issues. Yes, I have seen the roles reversed with black hate organizations, but not nearly as often or as wide spread. And again, the Black Panthers do not make the KKK virtuous.
Now we find ourselves in a debate over the Confederacy and its symbols. As a descendant of Confederates I personally find that these symbols are, to me, a heritage. They are a heritage of bravery, military prowess, dedication to family and home. But I cannot pretend that they are not about slavery, nor can I claim that they are not hurtful to others. The entire economy of the South was based on slave labor. Did the South also fear the loss of states rights; yes. But one of those rights was to control slavery at the state level.
As a descendant of Union soldiers I see Confederate monuments as honoring a foe who fought bravely and well, errant fellow citizens who followed a path but came back into the fold and became brothers once more. BUT, I can see that this is my interpretation. I can also admit that some of those Confederate symbols have been used to promote hate, discrimination and inequality. The question is: what do we do about them?
We can tear them down, move them to places of less importance and thereby satisfy some. But will this really make for justice? In my opinion, the answer is clearly no. This may not be the time to remove and destroy, but rather to build and celebrate. In Alexandria there is a statue to the Confederate veterans of that city. Where is the monument to the African American soldiers of Alexandria? Why are we not calling for the addition of new, large and significant monuments to the sacrifices of the black soldiers of the Union armies? There are a few, but not nearly enough to cover the territory they helped secure or to cover the territory from which they came. To remove is still not to acknowledge. We need to add these monuments in order to give these troops recognition for their deeds. There are a few, but they are not prominent, they are not grand and they are not in locations befitting the deeds of the men who should inspire them.
For the most part, the men who fought the war forgave and welcomed their former foes back into fellowship. Many admired their foes for their courage and fortitude. Should we do less? We who shed no blood, who suffered no hardship? This does not mean that we should not debate. It does not mean that Confederate symbols should not be questioned or put in their proper place. It does not mean that we should not speak of the evils of slavery. It does not mean that the Confederate flag should fly freely over places of power where sovereignty is memorialized and exercised. But if we do not truly honor ALL who fought, is it fair to honor any?
