Differing view on history

I think that perhaps John Pruett’s recall of history (“A commemoration of history,” Letters, Sept. 3) differs somewhat from mine.
The 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union made slavery their cause, and their battle banner was the Confederate flag. The reason stated was the election of Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln’s position at the time was of containing slavery to the states where it currently existed. At this point, Lincoln had not even promised to end slavery, I feel much to his discredit.
I do not believe it was a noble cause, and one should not try to defend the indefensible, Slavery is not in any way defensible, and anyone who has fought for it should not be aggrandized nor given symbols to honor them.
I was stationed in Arkansas in the early 1960s, and much to my shame, I saw that the Civil War had not ended. People who fought against the Jim Crow laws, black and white, were still being killed.
We should honor those people who fought against this despicable cause and honor those who have been lynched and buried in the swamps and rivers of the South.
History will and should examine the United States Civil War and hopefully give it its proper place in our history.
I am sure that a German could make a similar argument for displaying the Nazi flag, but I never saw one when visiting Germany. I am sure that German schools teach about the war and the Nazis’ ideology, and I will bet that they do not wax nostalgic about it. They face it with shame and a “never again” attitude.
According to the Aug. 15 “PBS NewsHour,” Robert E. Lee wrote about a proposed Gettysburg memorial in 1869 after his retirement, “I think it wiser not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, to commit to oblivion the feelings engendered.”
Discrimination is still with us and should be fought until we can abide by these words from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Ken Vail,
Benicia

An apology

I was mistaken about the timer question at City Council’s last meeting._ I apologize to Bob Livesay for saying he went over his time limit when he did not.

Susan Street,
Benicia

Sharing is caring!