08-25-2017, 11:38 AM
(08-25-2017, 11:35 AM)PhilHos Wrote: One of my more conservative friends on Facebook posted a story suggesting that Robert E. Lee was actually in favor of freeing the slaves and stuff but that he felt it was his honor to fight for his home state or some such hogwash. I was like, you can't say you were against slavery yet lead the fight for the side that wants to keep it. What, was R.E. Lee channeling his inner John Kerry or something?
It was kind of common for the time period actually, but Lee made statements on both sides of the argument so he was hard to figure out. It wasn't until after the war he said he was against it, but he made opposing statements in a similar time period though so who knows. Plenty of people of the period who had slaves would probably have been best classified as owning them, but being okay if everyone agreed to end it. Few wanted to give it up and be the only ones to suffer, but the idea of everyone doing it together seemed to be where some people could find common ground.
Like I said kind of a weird period.
