The Southern Side

From Rebel With A Clue:

Monday, November 1, 2010The Southern Side


The argument has been made in the past that Southerners should "Put away the Confederate flags and the pictures of Jefferson Davis" because "The heritage that Southerners so desperately cling to is one of racism, ignorance, and religious fanaticism" and that we are trying to create a "backward looking, close minded nation"



I was born, raised and educated in the South. I am looking toward the future, not trying to re create the past, but I know the past is an important part of our lives because without it we wouldn't be here. I am proud of the fact that my forefathers stood up for what they believed in, and passed that trait down to me. Racism is something I don't agree with and will not tolerate, Ignorance I feel I am trying to address and correct by teaching and learning the Truth that I was taught by my elders in spite of the version of history taught in our public schools, if I am a fanatic because I am from the South and believe in God, so be it.



I will continue to teach the truth of my ancestors, and remember where I came from while looking to the future. If this makes me backward looking and close-minded, I'm sorry you feel that way but that’s just me. You have to know where you came from to know where you are going. You have to believe in and Love God because without him we would not be here.



There is always more than one side to any story and wars are no different, in any war the history of it is the one written by the winning side and in the War Between the States the Union side of the story is taught in our schools, I have heard from students writing papers on the Civil War that Abraham Lincoln had to declare war on the Southern states to Free the Slaves, and how Southerners fought so hard to keep them, and that after the war the South had nothing left but wounded pride and that Lincoln had to force The South to treat the slaves with respect. OK this is one side but what about the Southern side, Are we not allowed to teach this side? The Confederate states are part of the USA today, “occupied states” so to say in my opinion, but still we are living by the laws of the land and celebrating the history of the states but what if part of your heritage is also from the Confederacy? This is the truth I speak of in my articles the lessons learned from my elders is where I see this truth. Slavery was a big part of life during this time but as I see it was an issue of the time but not the cause of the Civil War, slavery would have ended with or without this war, Lincoln himself stated, "The war is being fought for the Union, not slavery".



We allow our schools to teach their versions of history but we are supposed to keep the Southern side to ourselves. Our children being called down in school for showing pride in their heritage, a while back a boy in Ohio and one in Tennessee were made to feel wrong because they were proud, One for wearing a lapel pin of the Confederate Battle Flag, and one for wearing a t-shirt displaying the Confederate Flag with the statement "If this Flag offends you, You need a History lesson", he had wore it on Veterans Day, he explained that he has Confederate ancestors. So as I see it he has a right to be proud, and it was wrong to make him feel otherwise.



Why do we teach our kids to stand up for what they believe in and at the same time allow others to make them feel ashamed for doing so? Why can't people from the South be proud of where they are from without being accused of racism? Why is our history distorted to the point that our children are not learning the Truth of our forefathers at school? And why are we the ones that are "out of line" when we stand up for our kids by teaching them the truth? We should be able to do this without fear of being accused of something we are not



Our Children are the Leaders of the future. If we don't teach them the truth and the proper way to lead now in a Godly manner, then how can we expect them to lead and teach the truth to their Children without fear of confrontation from people trying to teach them otherwise?