The Confederacy seceded to protect their right to own slaves, and soldiers on the side of the Confederacy killed and died to protect their right to own slaves.

Not the kind of people we should be honoring by building statues and naming schools for them.

Robert E Lee was the Supreme commanding General of the Confederacy, which seceeded from the United States out of fear that Lincoln and his new, progressive Republican party (times have obviously changed) would outlaw slavery.

The resulting Civil War was by far the deadliest conflict the US has ever been in in terms of US casualties. But the bonus is that since the war over slavery had started anyway, we went ahead and outlawed most slavery while we were at it.

Anyway, a lot of states, especially in the South kept discriminatory laws on the books following the war. As the Civil Rights movements of the 50s and 60s approached, a lot of Southern cities and states started building monuments and dedicating government buildings and parks to Confederate “heroes” and leaders.

They romanticized the Confederacy as a major part of Southern heritage (even though it lasted less than 5 years), and rewrote the history taught in schools to teach that the war wasn’t about slavery, but about the federal government trampling on states rights.

And it worked. Millions of people are brainwashed into thinking that the rebel flag is a racist symbol, but a symbol of individualism and freedom. They tricked generations of Southerners into thinking they aren’t racist.

Calling it Lee anything is pretty dark. The name comes from slavery and and discrimination. It is tied to white supremacy groups that go around and hang African Americans they don’t like. Black Americans were dragged out of houses by a mob and then beaten heavily before finally being hung on a tree branch. (The KKK is the group I’m referring to)

Of course this was not all of America and this kind of behavior has since stopped and we now we aim to stop racism not promote it.

Here are the lyrics to a Billie Holiday song called “strange fruit” (it is in reference to lynchings)

[Verse 1]

Southern trees bear a strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

[Verse 2]

Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

[Verse 3]

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop

Robert E Lee is similar to Rommel. It’s problematic to use their name for things, but ignoring them is historically dishonest.

I think there’s a bit of “whoosh” happening…