Since we are relitigating the confederacy again let me say as someone who totally believed the “well it was really about economic interests and states rights” argument growing up what persuaded me it was about slavery was reading the actual secession documents.

And what persuaded me that the states rights line was fake was learning about the fugitive slave laws pre-war and the CSA’s actual mode of governance during the war.

Arguing with someone to try to convince them their ancestors were despicable people they should hate is 1) a bad thing to do on its own even if you have a rational point and 2) not very effective. Give’em a document where their ancestor is like “hahaha blacks aren’t people”

It’s a particular travesty that the Wisconsin militia dude had his statue torn down since he was a frickin HERO who resisted the unconstitutional fugitive slave laws. His story is a great example debunking the idea that the south supported decentralized authority.

But instead mobs of idiots (all people in mobs become idiots, especially well-heeled white people who make up these particular mobs) are like “white man bad!”

To be clear, you shouldn’t hate your confederate ancestors. I think we should honor our wicked dead, though how best to do so is debatable. You should just work to make a better world than the nightmarish one they fought to preserve. https://twitter.com/llhiggs/status/1275765378443096066?s=21 https://twitter.com/llhiggs/status/1275765378443096066