Posted on 08/20/2017 10:29:04 AM PDT by Kaslin
Can a man be guilty of a sin he himself seeks to purge from his being? Can he be a mixed bag, having some good and some evil in his being? Yes. We all know it. We all feel the sting of shame, of regret, when we reflect honestly on our hidden evil thoughts, when we contemplate the condemnation we would receive if a wrongful act was discovered. We could be otherwise deserving of praise for aspects of our nature that are laudable and honorable, but in that one thing we would feel disgraced.
Interesting word, isn’t it? Disgraced. It means to lose mercy, favor or virtue. Therefore, its opposite: grace, means to extend the restoration of virtue, to grant mercy, to again look favorably upon someone.
In the Civil War, America suffered a fall from grace. But grace was used to turn enmity into comity.
This is why the Civil War monuments existed, in part, perhaps in the largest part. A shattered nation needed to come back together. Secession was treason. Treason was disgrace; worse, treason was committed to protect the evil of slavery. Men died to stop it. Men died to save it. We know who won. But with battlefields stained with blood, and the shops, streets and homes filled with maimed bodies, broken futures, and fractured souls, how do you mend two warring sides?
Lincoln had planned for a mending. In 1863, roughly two years before the war ended, he issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, as stated here:
The proclamation addressed three main areas of concern. First, it allowed for a full pardon for and restoration of property to all engaged in the rebellion with the exception of the highest Confederate officials and military leaders.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
A lot of people on the left forget that Confederate Americans were, in fact, Americans.
Why not? They believed the cause they were fighting for was noble. It would be like Brits asking why there are Revolutionary War statues of Paul Revere and similar.
To promote healing the country at the time?
Yeah, but they just hate Americans, so maybe they haven’t. ;)
After the war, the feds only returned the Union dead home, Confederates had to settle for raising enough money to build a monument.
Regiments were raised locally, when there was a big battle and a regiment was decimated it was catastrophic for the communities they came from.
Combine the two and you see why there are so many monuments.
And when the feds were returning the Union dead, they tossed Confederates into mass graves.
Even if a family had the means to return a dead Confederate to their family cemetery, it was virtually impossible to determine which was theirs.
Tear down the Viet Nam Memorial. After all they were baby killers.
Why show a picture of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band?
Currently, they make noises about "supporting the troops". Anyone who passed thru KSFO from Travis AFB between 1965 and 1975 knows how that works...
Participation trophies.
Congress, around 1900, declared Confederate soldiers as veterans. Do your research before you write an article.
BS. The southern states were devastated and remained so for almost a century. These monuments cost the northern states nothing and salved the wounds of the south while they suffered.
In truth these statues are there because Man admires courage.
They are opposed because political theories don’t.
Does anyone think the garbage filling America’s streets today could have dealt with those men in Post #6? Those guys would destroy todays “men.”
Zackly!
A lot monuments were built in honor of fallen Confederate soldiers whose bodies were never returned home for a proper burial.
These memorials are the only “burial” these men and boys had.
No. It wasn't. It was seen as a legitimate right of states prior to TWBS. States in New England considered it during the War of 1812. Jefferson Davis, President of CSA, was jailed, but never tried for treason. Charges would've never stuck even with a "reconstructed" U.S. Congress.
The federal government was formed by the sovereign states, not the other way around. The same states that formed it could dissolve it and leave. Sort of ironic if "slavery" was the driving cause of TWBS - free the slaves and enslave states and their free citizens. What was the rationale for not including "perpetual union" in the Constitution? It had been used in the Articles of the Confederation. To make a more perfect union, perhaps?
Multifaceted dilemmas, mistakes, greed, and desire for power on both sides led to TWBS. Such is the nature and failings of men. Also reason for fearing an all powerful central government. Founders understood history and human nature.
The USA is a Catch-22.
Of course they were. Who would claim that they weren’t?
Despite what Hollywood shows you, the Confederate army was Come-As-You-Are.
Most didn't have uniforms and often had to bring their own weapons.
‘After the war, the feds only returned the Union dead home, Confederates had to settle for raising enough money to build a monument.’
interesting point...I’d love to see that famous photo in color...
They are Amiricans! Lee is still studied at West Point!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.