In the 1800's, the American Civil War ignited, forcing regular civilians to take a side and make a choice. It was there that my family's home state of West Virginia was founded, when Union Loyalists seceded from Virginia when she broke away from the United States. But that's of no concern at this point.
The point is, my family fought for the Confederacy, and I'm proud of this fact. Why, though? Why would anyone be proud of their family being rebels against the country he loves so much? Well, the answer's simple - Being a Confederate was the most American thing they could've done.
"But Aaron, how does being anti-America make you American?"
Well, you see, America was founded on the belief that you should fight for what you believe in and what you stand for no matter what. Even history itself points to this being fact, as Robert E. Lee (The most successful and prominent General of the Confederacy) once said that he simply couldn't turn his sword against Virginia. Those who fought for the Confederacy weren't necessarily fighting to keep Slaves, but for their loyalties and for their families. If they're families lived in a Confederate State, then they were targets for the Union Armies. If they couldn't at least help to protect their families by fighting in the war, then what good were they? They loved their homes and their loved ones more than they loved a piece of paper saying, "We're in charge" that sat in some building in Washington, D.C.
The sad thing is, I can't express my love for my heritage by flying a Confederate flag because of the Generalization that "CONFEDERATES = SLAVERY! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!" and all of that Jazz. In fact, if anything, the Confederate Flag should represent a love of one's family, a loyalty to their home and the complete willingness to die for what one believes in. And so when I'm called out on being a Racist because I enjoy flying a Flag my forefathers flew as they fought for that what they believed was the right thing, It upsets me a bit.
Hell, the Civil War wasn't even ABOUT slavery. Was that a main cause? Oh, sure it was! But the war was about Expanding Government powers. If the Government was going to regulate what w can and can't own, then what's next? Can they simply say, "you can't live here because we say this is a Home-Free state"? THAT is what the war was about. Not the freedom of Black men and women, but about the rights the People had over the Government and vice versa.
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YEah I agree with you onseveral points here. My family has only been in this country fo three enerations so i can't speak about having a loyalty to family but i can speak from what i know of the civil war. Fisrt off your right, the civil war was not really about slavery, the only reason that the south ceceded was because they felt they had lost their political voice with the election of Lincoln. Most of the soldiers who fauht for the south did so because of their loyalty to their state. Back then everyone thought of them selves as virginian first and an american second. I belive the opposite is true today. We can not judge the confederates with today's moral code. They did what they thought was right. I have always felt that many confederates got a bad rap. Especially Robert E. Lee. He was arguably the most intelligent and noble men who fought in the civil war. Although he did cecede, he did so out of loyalty to his family and what he felt to be his "country" (virinia). This is not to say that the confederates were completely right but they stould up for what they believed in and that is what it means to be American.
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