That may be true, but the fact remains that the abolition of slavery was overwhelmingly the threat that was cited as the justification for secession.
Nobody's talking about banning the flag (at least not here). I specifically said people can fly whatever flags they want. People can also sell whatever symbols they want. The debate is whether popular governments within the United States should display it.
I agree with this. I'm not saying that Southerners were defending slavery because they were inherently evil or morally inferior to Northerners. The South's economy and way of life depended on it, which is why they were willing to fight to preserve it. But that doesn't excuse it or make the cause any less reprehensible.
This issue is not an easy one for me. I grew up with the rebel flag on my wall. I waved it at Ole Miss football games. I read books about the Civil War and looked up to men like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. But I can't continue to deny that the Confederate cause was unequivocally wrong. Though the flag is just a symbol, it stood for something not worth fighting for then, and has been co-opted by white supremacists now. Despite my history with the battle flag, I think its time has passed. There is so much to celebrate about Southern culture, but the Confederacy isn't part of that for me.
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