Statues: Tribute to anti-invasion freedom fighters?

Are all people who oppose the removal of Confederate statues racist? Perhaps not. There is an alternative perspective that many white Southerners share.

The South felt its departure from the Union was within the understanding of the agreement between the states. The states were initially independent entities but agreed to unite for the common good.

The Southern states declared themselves free when the common cause that bound them with the North failed to be. The North felt the South could not leave the Union and were considered traitors.

When President Lincoln won the election of 1860 with just 39% of the vote, he declared war on the South to “Save the Union,” not free the slaves. The North proceeded to invade the South.

Southerners responded with a stiff defense of their homeland. Over 250,000 white Southerners died in the war. Countless homes and farms were razed.

The men who fought to defend the homeland from the Northern invaders were naturally considered heroes by Southern white people.

This is why Southern whites built statues in honor of those who defended them and their homeland.

This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Statues: Tribute to anti-invasion freedom fighters?."