re: #153 HappyWarrior
Yep, that’s what pisses me off the most. The true heroes of the Civil War get denigrated for the Lost Cause myth. Grant becomes Butcher Grant and corrupt Grant. I admit for the longest time I too believed he was a bottom tier President but he went after the Klan. Stanton got over his initial misgivings about that Lincoln fellow and was a great Secretary of War. And Stevens, men like him and Charles Sumner were way ahead of their times in so many ways.
Stanton was an “autocrat” and a “difficult” person.
Fortunately there’s a pretty good and fairer treatment of Stanton in a new biography of him I’m reading.
Also, there was a new biography of Grant released last year (Ronald White) and another one coming in October by Ron Chernow (Hamilton).
So we’re finally getting around to elevating some forgotten or otherwise unfairly treated national heroes.
Even beyond the slavery issue*, the thing that annoys me about the Confederate worship is They. Tried. To. Break. Up. The. Union. Why on earth would we build monuments to that or celebrate its leaders? (If I lived or grew up in the South I admittedly might feel differently, but for people like Noonan…)
*I do think it’s fair to point out that at one time in the nation’s history every state allowed slavery, most Northerners were themselves racists to varying degrees and the Civil War was not fought to end slavery but ended slavery to restore the Union, etc. So I don’t think it’s fair to single out the South necessarily for criticism regarding slavery.