It is Confederate History Month

It is (really) Confederate History Month in 7 states. And, in case you thought this was a hold over from the "olden" days, no. 

I agree we should understand (albeit, not "celebrate") Confederate History. 

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln won the Presidential Election running on the platform against the expansion of slavery. After his win, but before he was inaugurated, 7 slave states left the United States to start a Confederation of States dedicated to protecting the institution of slavery.

Within a year, 4 more slave states, and breakaway parts of two others, joined the Confederacy. These states balked at the ideas of: free Black Americans, national government and the Industrial Revolution. The states' economies were dependent on slave labor to create profits. 

They started with the idea of "nullification". That is the idea that any state could nullify (or not honor) laws made in Washington that they disagreed with. When this proved impossible, they left the United States, and immediately fought and defeated United States Forces at Fort Sumpter in South Carolina.

All told 618,222 men died in the Civil War, 360,222 from the North and 258,000 from the South — by far the greatest toll of any war in American history. Even more than from Covid (albeit it not by much).

And all to keep men as slaves to other men.

Many of my relatives fought in the Civil War on both sides. In fact, my crazy as fuck old great-grandfather (the one withe the spit can I had to empty) was named after the southern General Lee. His name was Robert E Lee Green. I knew I didn't like him.