Upfront Moral Rights Response Essay: “Are We Still Fighting The Civil War?”

The article “Are We Still Fighting The Civil War?” by Alessandra Potenza is about how even though the Civil War has long past, many people are still fighting for their side all over the United States.  I believe that people should not still be fighting about the civil war.  Everything regarding it should be settled by now.  Everyone should accept each other for the way that they are.  But this all is not true, there are still some people that do not believe in equality and there are people who oppose them.  These different ways of thinking cause fights.  These fights will go on for a long time, but the best thing we can do is to try to encourage equality, fairness, and kindness, and also try to see other people’s point of view.

One example of a fight is in Florida.  The fight is not about the reasons of the civil war, it is about a monument.  “The skirmish recently broke out in Olustee, west of Jacksonville, when the Sons of Union Veterans asked officials to place an obelisk to honor Union troops in a state park where three other memorials honor Confederate soldiers.  The park commemorates the Battle of Olustee—Florida’s bloodiest Civil War battle—where nearly 2,000 Union and 1,000 Confederate troops were killed or wounded in 1864.”  After this request many people were against the idea and tried to get rid of it.  I believe that this is unfair and unethical.  During the battle more Union soldiers were killed or injured than Confederate soldiers, and there are already three Confederate Memorials, so why should people protest one Union Memorial being put up, it only seems fair.

            Another example of a controversial topic is the Confederate flag.  Many people still flaunt this flag on clothing, cars, license plates, houses, and more.  Some see it as a symbol of southern pride, while others see it as a symbol of discrimination.  Kanye West has worn the flag himself, and put it on his clothing that he sells.  This has really sparked controversy.  Black leaders and civil rights groups have called for boycotts of his merchandise.  Kanye West told the radio, “I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag.”  I think that he either thinks it is a cool looking graphic for his clothing, or he thinks that the fact that he is black and using it gives black people power.  He might believe that it is like the “n” word; if black people use it, it takes away the meaning of it. On the contrary, Obama believes that the flag belongs in a museum.  He wants to move past it and let it be history.

Why continue fighting a war that killed 620,000 Americans?  Anyone can plainly see that war damages us.  “One reason, historians say, is that the conflict is perceived very differently in different parts of the country.”  Many Southerners have monuments of Confederate leaders from the war.  They take pride in their history.  Many Northerners and African-Americans view these monuments as racist, and disrespectful.  We are not going to forget about history, but we can try to help people see others views in a non-judgmental way.  Lawmakers are trying to find middle ground, and everyone is trying to help get past this fight.  According to Council President Corey Bowie, “Once we can appreciate both ends, then we can move past this.”  I agree with him in the fact that we should try to see other peoples way of thinking and appreciate it even if we don’t agree with it.