620,000 people (Americans) died in the Civil War. Roughly 2% of the population. No matter which version of history you have been taught, the bottom line is these soldier's were your average man. On either side of the war these men were still Americans and should have their memories honored. This hysteria of removing monuments, digging up graves, not allowing flags on graves is sad. It was a rich mans war and a poor mans fight. Just as most Northerners did not fight to end slavery, most Southerners did not fight to preserve it. In 1904 the Confederate monument in Gainesville was erected. In attendance were UNION and Confederate Veterans who both supported the monument. They showed each other respect as fellow Americans. They honored each others dead. Now our commission will hear discussions about actually removing this 111 yr old monument because of this media fueled history witch hunt. Removing the monument does not end racism it only dishonors the American soldier's who died. I hope you will come out in support of keeping the statue and keeping American history alive. We can learn a lot from history and learn nothing by erasing it.
Proud and honorable Americans.
North & South … Both with Honor.
Those that seek to eradicate history,
and seek to condemn southern pride and honor,
and deny honor for all those that fought and died,
should examine themselves,
for they have no honor,
and should not be given any respect,
let alone be allowed to force their beliefs and will upon others.
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How could the history of the civil war ever be equated to have anything to do with slavery? The war was not started over slavery, or ever about slavery. The north and the south both had slaves. Yes, Lincoln freed the slaves, but if you know you history it was not to do something that was morally right. Lincoln freed the slaves to bolster the union ranks when it was a good chance of the north loosing the war, and he needed the extra men that ending slavery would provide. But the war was NEVER about slavery, neither for the north or the south. Seeing the Confederate Flag as a symbol of slavery just shows the ignorance of their conviction to have a cause that is not founded in fact, but merely being used to satisfy their need to once again to play the prejudice card for whatever they can gain from it. It happened 150 years ago… their situation today has nothing to do with what they think happened 8 generations ago. Prejudice today is a product of today’s social environment. NOT what happened during the civil war. Perhaps when people stop using labels as to ethnic origins, then perhaps we again will all be simply seen as Americans, no matter the origins. Labels create divisions and prejudice.
