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New York Times - Richmond removes Robert E. Lee statue
Regarding the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond: I believe we can acknowledge slavery and the Confederacy were great evils, and still acknowledge that General Lee was one of the single greatest military strategists in history. And was no fan of slavery, either. In fact, the historical record shows that he hated the institution of slavery. He lived in a time before Americans all saw themselves as one. Most citizens in the mid-1800s saw themselves as belonging to their state before belonging to the union, and Robert E. Lee decided to fight for his beloved Virginia. I need not be a right-wing lunatic, or a racist, or have any sympathy for the overall Confederate cause – past *and* present – to respect a great gentleman of American history. Statue or no statue, recognition given or not, General Lee’s place in history is secure, and it’s a waste of time for any of us to argue over it in the year 2021. This is all political theater – the grandstanding from the left and the handwringing over it from the right (and from Donald Trump, native of New York City with no ties whatsoever to the South.) History isn’t as black and white – pardon the deliberate pun – as most of us in this stupid timeline so desperately want to believe.
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