Thea, sgtcsa, Admiral Porter,
If the SCV was only about preserving the memory of the Confederate soldier, I doubt if there would be many protests or debates on the subject. Many of the projects the SCV engages in, recognizing and restoring memorials and monuments and caretaking of Confederate graves is a worthy project.
Even the idea that the Confederate soldier fought for other things other than slavery, is not in itself an unworthy act. There are countless stories of bravery in defense of one's land, home and family that must and should be told.
It is the attempt to rewrite sections of history to satisfy a modern agenda that I protest and am always wary of. It seems to me that there are some in the SCV who go far beyond honoring their ancestors and do their dead-level best to erase large portions of history. They detract in their stated goals of preserving the memory and history of the Confederate soldier and do great damage to the cause they say they cherish.
It seems to me that some in the SCV want to flee back to the past and stay there and not admit to the changes that have happened over the last 150 years, for good or for ill. The greatest wrong is to erase history, to deny that it happened or that the reason an event took place, even to consider it as merely a part of that event, is unreasonable at best, destructive at worst.
You seem to claim there is an extreme view being presented when some at this board, myself included, claim that slavery was a major factor in bringing on the Civil War. In my opinion, the other extreme view is to deny that slavery had nothing to do with the war. Ignoring history or refusing to consider historical events, does not increase the memory of those who fought for the South. It diminishes their history and their memory, as those who advocate their cause in this century have something to hide. It increases resistance because it appears those very same advocates are advocating a return to the past because they see nothing wrong with it.
And thus, in another opinion of my own, is the real reason for the Civil War. One section advancing into an unkown future while another section tried desperately to cling to the familiar past. In a few more generations, the past will be in the past and those trying to forget it or transform it into something it was not, will be forgotten right along with it.
This will be the real shame and heartbreak of those trying to honor their ancestors. The fight will be remembered but the brave men of that time will be obscured and forgotten over the present-day tactics used to press a modern-day political agenda.
Unionblue
Bringing the