First off, all states north and south, black and white should honor the veterans of he civil war, they sacrificed a lot, and it was a defining point in this countries history.

Secondly, everyone that says "i don't know why southerners would want to remember should realize what the ancestors, their great great grandparents and family members sacrificed during that time period. And it wasn't just whites either, as many as 20,000 blacks fought for the south in the civil war, including a whole regiment of Louisiana volunteers, native Americans, and Hispanics also fought for the south. So the issue isn't nearly as black and white as you all make it out to be... Pardon the pun.


You should realize at that time a sense of national identity was much less than it is even today. People debated even more so about the limits of the federal government, especially since the northern and southern sectors were so different. In the end southerners followed their states into war not just for slavery, which yes was the heart of the issue. but because they thought they were protecting their family's from perverse values. Mainly racial integration, and a strong central government.


Now today we know many of those values to be different than what we adhere to today, and in some cases wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that they died with their families and in some cases their descendants and future generations best interests at heart. Something that any one of us would do today.


And to those arguing why we don't see flags from other countries and eras flown.... Well it's probably because in no time period has an american people lost and sacrificed so much... It should not be forgotten.


In the south alone, the post war casualty list would have been the equivalent of the southern states today losing 9 million men, it's largest cities, it's entire economy, and much of its culture.


And more men died in the north!


This era simply means more to Americans than any other, and certainly it means more than any other countries struggles to Americans


Here is a good article on why it should not come down..

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/42...ing-debate

I personally am in favor of replacing the confederate cross with the first confederate flag at the memorial, the stars and bars. Texas has done this, the flag honors confederate sacrifices and doesn't have all of the perversity that racial groups have dragged onto it following the war.

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