The UNITED STATES, not the confederacy put up those statues. They did it starting about 30 years after the war, in a period between 1890-1930.
1930. 60 years after the southern states committed treason and the rebellion lost the bloodiest war in American history. That they fought over slavery. Against the US government. Who then put up statues in their honor?
To put this into perspective, it would be like if Germany in the early 2000’s was like “you know who were pretty noble? NAZIS. And then put statues of Himmler facing Synogogues.
Because that’s who the statues were for-the victims.
They were there to remind the first generation of black people born out of slavery that confederate ideals were still strong in the south, and they better not get any IDEAS.
And let’s get this straight- the Confederacy was fighting for slavery. The Union was not fighting against slavery. The Union was fighting against rebellion, and to keep the US from breaking apart.
Lincoln, the oh so benevolent freer of slaves, did it out of practicality, and he hesitated a long while.
He famously said, “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that”
So slavery was never antithetical to the official stance of the US government. And all those confederate soldiers were elected into office by confederate voters.
So did they really lose the war? If we’re still flying their flag and erecting their monuments and enforcing their values?
So long as we allow people to revere them, those monuments aren’t history. They’re current events.
