Black Lives Matter (BLM) wants Confederate groups and flags outlawed, and they want it done now. In a tweet Monday, the group said, “After WWII, Germany outlawed the Nazis, their symbols, salutes & their flags. All Confederate flags & statue, & groups should be illegal.”
On its face, it seems rather inconceivable to put Nazi Germany and the American Civil War on the same platform. While slavery was one of the chief driving factors that led to the War between the States -- it was far from the only reason. Ultimately, the Civil War was fought over whether the federal government could force the states to obey laws they found unjust. It had a whole lot to do with state sovereignty.
BLM’s push to get rid of everything Confederate comes as no surprise, especially in the wake of recent events in Charlottesville. The organization is well-known for its timed protests and instigation of near riots and violence. If the statues in question were of Ku Klux Klan members, complete with sheets and burning crosses, there’d be no arguing the need to destroy such trash. However, these historical monuments recognize individual players of the civil war but also to a point in time when slavery was once an for all abolished in the U..S. – at the cost of an estimated 620 thousand lives.
The Confederate flag is a point of serious contention, of that there is no doubt. It has been used in countless protests promoting segregation and white supremacists movements, but that was not its original intention. As a battle flag, it was meant to separate the Confederate states from the Union and to declare the south’s independence. After the civil war, it was used to honor fallen soldiers and their families. While misuse of the flag has given it a bad reputation and has served, for many, as a symbol of hate and white supremacy, it is still a recognized symbol of American history. To ancestors of the Confederate army, making the flag something to be ashamed of is an insult to their family members who perished in the war.
Lars Prillaman discussed this on HISTORYNET and explained that he had a Confederate flag, along with other historical memorabilia, but ultimately felt the need to hide it.“I now feel as though I’ve hidden away my lineage in a dresser drawer,” he said. “It’s a battle I can’t win.”
I’m sorry, all you Prillaman boys in the 57th Virginia Infantry, who laid it all on the line so many times, captured at the Angle at Gettysburg with your proud colors and returned to service because you had conviction. I believe you were wrong in your cause. But I believe you fought for that cause with your every fiber, because at heart you were Americans. Rest in peace. You will not be forgotten, and I won’t allow anyone to tarnish you or shove shame down my throat. I will lay this flag at your graves, alongside an American flag. You were both. You can claim both.
Getting rid of history does not change it. In trying to make this world as politically correct as possible, the left is virtually eradicating the symbols of struggle, loss of life, and sacrifices so many have made to preserve our great Union.
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