Are we saying that things done that were less than good by our leaders in tge past should be totally overlooked? Many still love Robert E Lee, yet he not only owned slaves, but was apparently brutal with them. Let us not forget he was a traitor to the United States. You wanna overlook that. People like Thomas Jefferson “freed” their slaves. Interestingly, only after their death did they free them. This would indicate they knew it was wrong, but chose to ignore it during their lifetimes. I do not believe we should ignore the significant contributions these and other Americans have made. The contributions they made were of note. Lee fought in Mexico along with Grant. Jefferson made huge contributions. However, I cannot forget what the negatives of these guys were. Lee, again, was a traitor and abuser of other human beings. Jefferson, somewhat hypocritical in that his writings said one thing, but his ownership of others said something entirely different. I attended Jefferson’s University, the University of Virginia. I was and am proud of that. He founded it and financed its’ origin. His ideas were brilliant.
I don’t hate Jefferson, but am aware of some of his faults. These were not the only two people who have mixed persona. Accepting that this was true does not mean I think we should forget their accomplishments and contributions. This leads me to the issue of statues for Confederate leaders that exist in many places. I saw no statues to Hitler in Germany or Mussolini during time in Italy. Maybe I missed some; I doubt it. They were in many ways traitors to their people. The leading officers of the Confederacy were actual traitors. I believe some were tried, convicted, and imprisoned. They fought against the United States. They stood for the subjugation of people by their actions. They are not heroes. The statues are not history from the Civil War era. They were made and erected during the “Jim Crow” era. They were placed as reminders that the Black people in our country should know their place and that there were still people around to keep them in their place. The Civil War, slavery, etc. are a part of History. If we really want or need to remember what some of these people did it should be in the writings of history. To honor them, treat these subjugators of others as heroes, and, in essence, worship their likenesses should never be acceptable to anyone. To deny this is to ignore this is to say the feelings of minorities simply do not matter. Imagine if your ancestors were slaves. How might you feel when you see a statue honoring people who fought to keep their ancestor enslaved? Do you think you’d like it? That these are often are erected near courthouses should convey the message there are different justice for different races. Is this really what we want to tell our fellow citizens? Some clearly would say yes. Can you say White Nationalist? Can you say closet racist or bigot. Few people believe or want to believe they are racist. Maybe it only comes out when they are in the voting booth.
We cannot grow together as a nation unless this festering sore of a philosophy is dead. It is of racism that I speak. There may be bad on both sides. There always are. However, we truly cannot honestly say there are good people on both sides. Can we?

Do you not remember that a mural of him was recently painted over in a california (lower case 'C' used on purpose) school because it offended some of the students. We are well on our way to erasing what is the story of the beginning of our republic. The better to substitute stories of the abuse and indignities foisted on the native Americans and slaves by those evil European Caucasians.

Before any liberals take offense at my racism, I am 1/4 Creek Indian and my ancestors were among those forced off their lands in the Southeast and driven to what is now Oklahoma. I want reparations from any of you who were involved in that. If you weren't personally involved, then I bear you no ill will. Likewise, any of you who ever owned slaves should seek out their forebears and compensate them handsomely.

Leave history in the past and strive to repair the rift in our country today.

Do you not remember that a mural of him was recently painted over in a california (lower case 'C' used on purpose) school because it offended some of the students. We are well on our way to erasing what is the story of the beginning of our republic. The better to substitute stories of the abuse and indignities foisted on the native Americans and slaves by those evil European Caucasians.

Before any liberals take offense at my racism, I am 1/4 Creek Indian and my ancestors were among those forced off their lands in the Southeast and driven to what is now Oklahoma. I want reparations from any of you who were involved in that. If you weren't personally involved, then I bear you no ill will. Likewise, any of you who ever owned slaves should seek out their forebears and compensate them handsomely.

Leave history in the past and strive to repair the rift in our country today.