The Civil War Is Over!

In downtown Canton, there is a monument to veterans of the Civil War and World War I.   It is a modest construction.  It does not condemn the Yankees or celebrate slavery.  It merely asks that we honor the sacrifices of the brave men and women who died on behalf of what they believed best for their nation.

While I am a transplanted northerner, during my more than a quarter century living in Georgia, I have not witnessed a single Confederate rally.  To my knowledge, members of the KKK have never used the Canton memorial as the focus of an anti-black or anti-American gathering.

What is more, I know of no one who wants to tear the union apart.  Nor do I personally know anyone who wants to revive slavery.  The Civil War is over!  Almost no one hopes to refight it.  Perhaps there are a few weirdoes who do, but they are a trivial minority.

The Canton monument is, therefore, not about going back to the past, but of respecting the past.  It is about taking pride in one’s ancestors, not resuscitating their cause.  This is the New South.  It looks forward, not backwards.

As a consequence, I have no problem with confederate monuments.  I do not want to see them torn down.  As part of Southern history, they are reminders of what was.  We can thus learn from them without having to repeat long ago blunders.

We are told that these monuments offend blacks.  African-Americans are said to consider them supportive of slavery.  Some contend that the civil rights movement can never be fully completed without their removal.

But lest we forget, the Supreme Court ruled that flag burning is legal.  It was pronounced a form of free speech.  Although some Americans find this symbolism provocative, they are enjoined to step aside an allow others to exercise their rights.

Isn’t it the same with the Civil War monuments?  Shouldn’t they be regarded as a form of protected speech?  If so, although some find them offensive, these memorials too ought to be shielded from desecration.

Let me, for a moment, turn to efforts to destroy statues of Robert E. Lee.  He was a slave owner and the most effective general in the confederate army.  His likeness is accordingly said to be unworthy of public adulation.

In fact, Lee was a genuine hero.  He fought against the Union, not because he favored slavery, but because he regarded Virginia as his country.  We ignore the fact that before the civil war, people said the United States are, rather than the United States is.   That is, they thought to themselves as citizens of their states, not the larger nation.

In any event, Lee was instrumental in preserving the Union.  This was not only because he lost on the battlefield, but because of the way he lost.  After the surrender at Appomattox Court House, events might have turned out differently.  Many southern generals advocated a guerilla campaign to keep their cause alive.

Lee, however, disagreed.  As a result, he asked his soldiers to lay down their arms and go home.  Because of his enormous prestige, they did.  Had they not, it is difficult to imagine that our nation’s unity would have been reestablished.

History is complicated.  So are people.  Traditions evolve slowly and so it is fitting that we keep evidence of how they do in our midst.  This enables us to understand the way change occurs, but it also makes room for improvements.

Let me finally share what I think the crusade against confederate monuments is really about.  Liberals not only lost the last presidential election, but they did so because the South had become Republican.  East and West coast progressives found this inexcusable.  They are accordingly seeking revenge.

Nevertheless, most of those clamoring for a purification of our public spaces understand nothing about the South.  All they know comes from fictionalized movies.  They therefore assume a moral superiority they do not possess.  This is scarcely a secure foundation from which to judge the cultural legacy of others.

And so I say: Leave the monuments alone!  Consign the Civil War to the past—where it belongs.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University