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To the Editor:
Our admiration of a rebellious spirit likely helped us win the Revolutionary War that followed our nation’s Declaration of Independence. During our Civil War, Robert E. Lee and many others stood with the South to support their community and their state in a rebellion against our country during the Civil War. At one level, their loyalty may be admirable, but on a higher level, it shows a lack of moral strength to fight against the moral wrong of slavery. At the higher level, they were followers, not heroes.
We can understand the moral failure of the Confederates. The economic system of the Old South was based on slavery, so ending slavery would mean many hard and uncertain years for their communities while a new system was established. As such, the Confederates chose to turn a blind eye to the extreme injustices to the many people around them who lived their lives as forced laborers with none of the freedoms our country claimed to provide. We can understand the choices of the Confederate rebels, because most of us are followers, and we can learn and even admire the early military successes of the Confederate army.
It is important to remember our history. But we also need to distinguish remembering versus honoring historical figures. Remember and learn in museums and history books. Show who we honor by statues in public spaces and names of military bases. We should remember, but not honor those who are known today mostly because they blatantly fought against our nation’s foundational belief that all men are created equal.

D. McCoy
Elizabethton