The Civil War

The civil war was a pivotal point in my nations history. It was an event that very nearly tore apart the union, but thanks to the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of all those who fought in it, the civil war was a sort of crucible that made the United States stronger in the long run. It's been a while since I last went into depth in studying the civil war, but there are certain things about it that I either remember, or are just plain common knowledge. As much as some people so vehemently deny it, the civil war was very much about slavery. "It was about states rights!" those people will say, and they're right, it was about states rights, particularly their rights to keep their slaves. The south saw the direction that America was taking, a direction towards abolition, and they just didn't want to have any part in that. The election of president Abraham Lincoln, a fierce abolitionist was the final straw for the south and one by one, they seceded, forming what we know as the Confederate States of America. The backbone of the entire confederate economy was slavery so I do understand why those states elected to secede. However, that doesn't make the fact that they left and subsequently attacked the United States of America. The confederacy was as anti American as they could have possibly been, they were traitors, and they were properly shut down. The civil war was the bloodiest internal conflict in this countries history and I think that everyone needs to be taught about every aspect of it. We can't remain ignorant of our nations history, we need to learn all about it, even the dark chapters such as the civil war. The fact that so many men were willing to fight and die in order to keep the union together really reminds me just how important the ideals that this nation should be to myself and to every other citizen of the United States of America. All of the freedoms that we enjoy today were upheld by the blood of patriots that had a vision of a nation of freedom and equality, where all men could have the opportunity to make whatever they want out of their lives. It should also be mentioned, all of the fantastic literature that came from the civil war. Countless autobiographies, fiction works, and recounts of the battles of the civil war exist and are there for us to not only enjoy, but to learn from. Personally, I take offense when anyone proudly displays a confederate flag. Mainly because I know the history of the civil war. I know that the rebel flag represents an affront to the United States, it represents white supremacy, it represents racism, and it represents the epitome of being on the wrong side of history. People who display it need to stop kidding themselves. It's not about culture, it's not about pride, and it's certainly about anything but freedom. The only places that flag of traitor and losers belongs are museums. I'm not saying we need to erase the history of the confederacy, quite the opposite. I think we need to remind ourselves as often as possible about the horrors of the civil war and the best means of doing that is preserving confederate memorabilia in places of history. I cringe whenever I hear someone say that the US is edging towards another civil war because if those people had even a remedial understanding of the first civil war, they would know that is the least likely outcome no matter how divided this nation may seem, and they would also shudder at the very idea of another such brutal and bloody conflict.