The recent murders of nine black Americans by a white racist in a Charleston, South Carolina, church should provide a real “teaching” moment. Classrooms and public forums all over the country should examine both the causes and the terrible legacy of our Civil War.

“History Lesson: The Confederate army’s surrender in 1865 re-enacted in Augusta,” the front-page article on June 28, reveals that organizers of the re-enactment “concluded that the past week’s events weren’t relevant to what they were doing.”

A Bucksport resident carried a Confederate flag, saying that it didn’t represent the idea of slavery to him, but rather “the men who left their homes to fight versus the invading Union (troops) attacking their way of life.” The Southern way of life was based on slavery and white supremacy. Are we to believe that Southerners were fighting for their right to drink mint juleps?

Let’s be clear: It is no more appropriate to fly a Confederate flag in public than it would be to fly a Nazi flag. Both represent odious ideals that are offensive to many people.

Mark DesMeules, executive director of the Viles Arboretum, asserted that “We’re presenting history, which has no bearing on the current controversy.” Tell that to the succession of racist organizations that have rallied around the Confederate battle flag for the past 150 years.

Our obsession with Civil War battle re-enactments whitewashes the reality of the conflict. Far better to have re-enactments featuring the words of Southerners defending slavery and their “way of life” paired with those advocating for the abolition of slavery.

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It’s high time to stop romanticizing and sanitizing our Civil War.

And let’s stop pretending that our history has nothing to do with our current condition.

John R. Merrill

Augusta


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