The Flag on the South Carolina Capitol

___The Confederate flag over the South Carolina Capitol is an historic symbol standing for the war that the Confederate States of America (CSA) had to fight for independence from the United States of America (USA).

___Yankee historians have blamed the war on slavery. This is a revision of the facts. The Emancipation Proclamation became effective 1 January 1863. This was almost two full years into the war, and it only freed the slaves in the CSA. Slavery was still legal in five states in the USA. Slavery was not abolished in the USA until the 13th Amendment was ratified after the war.

___The situation in 1860 was similar to the situation in 1770. Northern states had the population, manufacturing and navy as did England in 1770, and controlled trade with tariff policy. The southern states had a basically agrarian society. When Lincoln was elected, the southern states had no choice – just as the colonies had no choice in 1770. The southern states seceded and formed the CSA before Lincoln took office. Lincoln and the Radical Republicans refused to accept secession and give up subjugation of the southern states - just as King George did in 1776 with the colonies. The USA sent three ships to resupply the Federal fort in Charleston harbor. This was as unacceptable to the CSA as was Russia sending ships with missiles for Cuba in 1962. Fort Sumter was forced to surrender. At this point the USA invaded the CSA.

___The CSA would never have gone to war with the USA. The USA had about 3 times the population, most of the manufacturing and weapons technology, and a navy. The CSA was fighting an invader for its very existence! Most of the war was fought on southern soil. Lee lost the war when he became overconfident and invaded Pennsylvania without Stonewall Jackson. The USA lost at least 65,000 more men than the CSA, but, with 3 times the population, it could sustain the loss. The CSA lost a far greater percentage of men. At the time Lee surrendered he was outnumbered 10-to-1, had few supplies and little ammunition to sustain a defense.

___It was a real tragedy that Lincoln was assassinated because his policy toward the southern states would have been much more lenient than the Radical Republicans, the “carpetbaggers” and the “scalawags.” The injustices of the Reconstruction era solidified a hatred of the blacks being manipulated. It was similar to the tragedy that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968. He had called for “color blindness” instead of “affirmative action.” The racist and divisive policies of the government have seeded the hatred of today.

___The flag should be taken down only if government schools teach the truth about America's Second War for Independence.

___The northern and far western (blue) states have imposed progressive socialism and immorality on America. Professor Gruber says we are stupid and apathetic. Is he right?