Nicholas Kearney
Aug 23, 2017 · 2 min read

Mark,

Historians are quite sure. Here is a nice resource on the 4 states that wrote in depth reasoning for their secession: https://www.civilwar.org/learn/primary-sources/declaration-causes-seceding-states

As you’ll note by reading that slavery was their primary motivation. Also note that the ONLY state rights that they were fighting for revolved around slave property and the right to own slaves.

Regardless of whether one views the statues in any other way their purpose was to send a message to people of color in the south that whites are in charge.

General Lee was no good guy. Not only did he own slaves, he viewed slavery as evil to whites and good for blacks. Here is just one quote from Lee:“ I think it is a greater evil to the white than to the colored race. While my feelings are strongly enlisted in behalf of the latter, my sympathies are more deeply engaged for the former. The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, physically, and socially. The painful discipline they are undergoing is necessary for their further instruction as a race, and will prepare them, I hope, for better things.” Here is another exceprt about Lee and his treatment of HIS slaves “ When two of his slaves escaped and were recaptured, Lee either beat them himself or ordered the overseer to “lay it on well.” Wesley Norris, one of the slaves who was whipped, recalled that “not satisfied with simply lacerating our naked flesh, Gen. Lee then ordered the overseer to thoroughly wash our backs with brine, which was done.”” (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/the-myth-of-the-kindly-general-lee/529038/)

So you’ll see that all that malarky bandied about in the south about Lee being a good guy and the south fighting for states rights is bullshit whitewashing of what really went down. You claim to be a fan of civil war history yet it seems you have not looked too far into what really went down.

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    Nicholas Kearney

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