Observations
Dustin White

The news is often filled with tragedies. Nearly on any day, one can find some sort of horrible event that has occurred, or continues to occur.

I’ve often tried to avoid covering such tragedies. It’s not that I don’t think that such events shouldn’t be covered, but instead, I see no reason to repeat the same stories that dozens of other outlets are doing. I want to add something new.

There are always exceptions, of course. Some events need to be remembered, or have such a large impact that the focus doesn’t really leave. Or a different light can be shined on them, one that others are missing, such as viewing these events through a historical context.

Then there are other times that an event is remembered, but the details have become misunderstood, or manipulated. In some instances, an event or even thought can be used to incite or justify terrible ideas.

In the last few days, we’ve seen this come to play in Charlottesville, as hundreds have descended onto the town. The initial intention was to protest the destruction of a Confederate monument; a statue of Robert E. Lee. It would become more than that, as the demonstration quickly became a platform for white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK.

Instead of quick condemnation, there have been many attempts to justify actions that can only be labeled as racist and hate filled. Many of these justifications have been based on historical misunderstandings, or simply attempts to distract from the real issue. There is a great amount of fingers being pointed in every direction, with most missing those who the blame rests upon.

Now, I tend to generally be somewhere in between on most issues. Absolutes, for me, are off putting as I believe there is usually a bit of grey area, or at the very least, room for discussion. If nothing else, it just may be some misunderstanding that could be explored.

In the case of the actions that have occurred in Charlottesville, there are quite a few of the latter. The lack of a historical background on many of the issues at play, as well as just the sheer amount of misinformation being circulated can be dumbfounding. But one can certainly dig into the truth, and shed a bit of light onto a number of the symbols and ideology that are being employed.



Confederate Flag
The Confederate Flag appears to be shrouded in many misunderstandings, the largest being its actual status. The flag that is often referred to as the Confederate Flag never actually served as the official flag of the South. While it was used as a battle flag, in northern Virginia, it wasn’t recognized as any national flag.

However, the matter gets a bit messy. While it wasn’t the official national flag, the Confederate Flag, the one we know today, nevertheless was an associated symbol of the Confederate States, and what they stood for. The design was incorporated into different national flags, and was recognized as a symbol of the south by those who lived there during the time.

While the actual flag was only used by a small portion of the Confederacy, it became intertwined with the Confederacy. It was one of many flags and symbols that represented the Confederate States.

With the flag and the Confederate States being so intertwined, one must try to understand what the Confederacy stood for. For some, they have argued that the reason for secession was for issues regarding states rights. However, the state right that was being fought for was one formed on racism. The state right was slavery, and it was the ultimate cause for the south leaving the Union.

The first state to leave the Union was South Carolina, and they make it very clear that the reason revolves around the issue of slavery. When South Carolina seceded, they did so with the Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union. In regards to secession, it is quite possibly the most important document.

Their primary gripe with the Union was surrounding the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The act was part of the 1850 compromise, that was meant to help reduce tensions between southern slave states and northern free states. In effect, the law was meant to return slaves, who had escaped the south and found freedom in the north, back to their slave owners. It was a law that many northern states either simply ignored, or repealed with state laws.

South Carolina listed 16 states in the Union that had messed around with the Fugitive Slave Act, and were not abiding by it. Ironically, the declaration from South Carolina went on to list other issues, such as a New York state law that banned temporary slavery, that they had problems with, even though they fell under the category of state rights.

As other states chose to secede, a similar picture was painted. In Mississippi, it was argued as part of their reason for secession, that because of the warm temperatures that the state experienced, slavery was needed as they were accustomed to such weather.

It was for the institution of slavery that the Confederate States chose to leave the United States. Doing so, those who seceded not only were considered guilty of treason, but gave up their citizenship to the United States. They became a foreign nation that fought a bloody and violent war with the United States.

That’s part of the history that many fail to realize. Today, we see it as part of United States history; that it was a war between the states: a civil war. At the time, it was seen as something quite different. The Confederacy spoke of it as a war between two countries, while the Union saw it as a war against rebels: traitors.

Therein lies the problem. To romanticize the Civil War, and ignore what had actually occurred, manipulates not only history, but impacts the present. Symbols like the Confederate Flag were not symbols of the United States. They were symbols of a foreign country born out of treason. A country that attacked the United States, and started a four year war that would claim the lives of more than half a million individuals.



But that’s a past we’ve been running from for many years. In doing so, we’ve not only whitewashed a large portion of history, but we’ve also whitewashed the individual that stands at the center of this issue: Robert E. Lee.

Robert E. Lee
Throughout the former Confederate States, dozens of monuments honoring Robert E. Lee were built. In recent history, a backlash against such symbols has occurred, and many southern states have seen such statues torn down.

The same has been scheduled for Charlottesville, and it was for that reason that a protest was organized. There was a desire to save the statue of Robert E. Lee from destruction, and in turn, to continue honoring his legacy.

Robert E. Lee though is a very interesting figure. Sadly, starting even during his own life time, his life has faced many whitewashings. Upon his death, he would be said to have been antislavery. While it was true that he found the institution of slavery to be morally evil, he also saw it as a necessary to instruct the “black race.”

In many ways, Lee sat on the fence in such a way on many issues. When it came to secession, he didn’t recognize it as a constitutional right, and would have liked to avoid it, but being loyal to Virginia, was dedicated to follow his state.

After the war, Lee increasingly tried to place the Civil War, and the Confederacy behind him. The Confederacy was dead, and he believed the north and south should be reunited. One didn’t do that by keep open old wounds.

During his final years, Lee would also oppose the erection of monuments to Southern soldiers, who had fought against the Union, as it believed it kept civil strife alive; it prevented the country from healing.



His passion for healing would become a bit much though, to the point where would struggle with accurately recording history, as he feared that his commentary on the past could stir up controversy in the present.

Upon his death, the Confederate Flag was absent, and Confederate soldiers who marched in the funeral procession were told not to don their old military uniforms. It was a uniform he would not wear to the grave, as, as he daughter wrote, it could have been treason.

The current preoccupation with the Confederate Flag, and the protest to save a monument of a Confederate soldier, would have been lost on Lee. He most likely would have been one of those who advocated to have the statue removed, as all it does is divide the country by keeping open old wounds.