In our country, one of the most current disagreements dividing the nation is whether or not the Confederate flag and Confederate war memorabilia are racist. While some argue that Confederate statues are painful reminders of a bigoted time period, others say that the statues and flag are an important part of our county’s history.
On May 11, the city of New Orleans removed a statue depicting Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  Just over a week later, on May 19, the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was also removed from Lee Circle. The elimination of these monuments sparked applause from some in our country and harsh backlash from others, bifurcating our nation.
The Confederate flag and Confederate war memorabilia are not racist. Although the Civil War Era was an unfortunate time period penetrated by racial inequalities, it was, more importantly, a significant and momentous time in our country’s history.
It is important to judge Civil War archives within the time period of the war.  In that century, some people believed that slavery was an acceptable form of labor.  Slavery had been going on in all parts of the world for such a long time; they saw no reason to change their ways.  In the modern world, we all know that slavery is a bigoted and unethical form of punishment.  However, in the 1800’s it was used extensively by southern plantation owners and was considered a normal form of labor. Therefore, the Confederates were fighting against the Union because they were trying to defend their beliefs. There is nothing racist about that.
In addition, people are too quick to judge the Civil War as “slavery vs. non-slavery”. The Civil War was fought over many issues, including states’ rights and the issue of representation among states in the South.
Despite whether or not we agree with what Confederates were fighting for, we cannot strive to erase memories of the war by removing the statues.  History is important to look back on so the same mistakes are not repeated.  Looking back on the Civil War is important for our country to see how we have grown and what we can do to continue moving forward.