I love history and the CW period was a complex time. I'm a former reenactor, mostly CSA, but have died in Blue and Gray. I am one of the 1000's of reenactors that petitioned the Confederate flag be removed from the SC statehouse. I have debated the many statues and within limits, I'm OK with the left argument that statues be placed where they are historically relevant. Why I understand some of the premise, that this statue isn't accurate, it's far clear with those politicians that isn't the issue, but far more, they want history erased on a one sided view.
Did the South leave the union over slavery, partially... The better way to look at it was economics, which slavery played a large role, but it also played a large role for the North, that loved the tariff money slavery generated to the federal govt. Neither side had clean hands on this issue. Concerning Lee, he certainly was no traitor. When the lower cotton states seceded, several states did not, including the ones that provided the most troops. In fact, they voted secession down or didn't even vote on it at all. It was only after Lincoln called up troops to invade the south did all these states secede. Most of these states, tho mixed in opinion, still wanted political resolve to restore the union. Lincoln took that away with plans to invade. Lee was offered to command the northern army to invade the south and refused, stating he never thought he would see the day a president would make war with it's own people. He hoped for political resolve and made it clear he would not attack his fellow states, his friends and family. Lee sided to protect his home, Virginia.
History must be understood in the period in which it took place, not by our morality or hindsight today. Slavery, as terrible as it was, was a religious answer to war. Instead of killing all of your enemy so they couldn't rise to fight you again, make slaves of them, take their women as wives, etc. Often blacks will say "before we were slaves, we were the sons and daughters of great black kings and queens" and this is true, but black kings and queens that were the greatest slaveholders in history. The majority of slaves sold to whites were slaves already by fellow Africans. Africa warred within with numerous tribal and civilization conflicts and enslaved each other. They soon learned they could sell to the white men on their shores for goods and weapons of war to continue their own inner struggles. I highly doubt you will ever see a protest to remove all this African history, statues or great landmarks.
I'll end there, except to say, where I could see the point of removing this statue, we also see the clear motive to remove all southern history from the CW period. The left has argued to remove history to where it's ..historical, but here we go to the next step, remove it completely. So where will it end? To understand for the most part and except for the very few, slavery was not a moral issue for the North. Soon after the CW, with a large war surplus and troops, the federal govt went on the fast trek to commit genocide and enslave another people of color for greed, the Western Indian tribes. That will a a lot of history to erase soon after southern history. Like every nation formed, their is much evil, but that is the progression of men that populate and advance. I hope we leave history alone, at least in places it's historically relevant.
