The Unjust Demonization of Robert E. Lee

It is common for Baby Boomers to “thank God they grew up when they did.” Those born between 1946-1964 will likely understand that commentary. Indeed, freedom of expression was greater then than now as was appreciation and understanding of the past. Perhaps the modern reality of virtually instantaneous communications is partially at fault since erroneous information often spreads immediately and the retractions and corrections do not always see the light of day. The subject of history has been one of the victims of this phenomenon. Some have claimed the Department of Education (DOE) has done what it was designed to do – centralized education and dumbed the population down to the lowest common denominator. One has to wonder if the late Jimmy Carter might have taken a different approach had he foreseen the damage done. Since the DOE was established, the U.S. has gone from having a world-class education system to mediocrity. Education is a State function--not a federal responsibility. It is not a delegated power enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

One victim of the modern ahistorical “Cancel Culture/Cultural Marxist” agenda is Robert E. Lee. Although highly respected by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Ford, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, and a seemingly endless line of individuals of some renown, over the last generation or so Lee was selected as an individual to be demonized. Lee checks all of the boxes that the Cultural Marxists hate, i.e., he was a devout Christian, he loved his family, and he fought for his native State of Virginia during the War for Southern Independence. Being descended from a long line of honorable men and women, Lee understood the voluntary nature of the federal republic and the fact that his first allegiance was to Virginia (which he considered his country). He also understood the constitution does not authorize for a State or States to be invaded or to be coerced back into the Union if the citizens and/or representatives voted to leave. Indeed, invasion of a sovereign State was considered treasonous.

Echoing old Soviet tactics, the extreme left in America set out on a demonization and renaming program. Much of this agenda intensified after the senseless murders in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. The likely deranged perpetrator had absolutely nothing to do with Southern history or the Jeffersonian tradition. The pictures floated around by the media showed this individual with a Confederate Battle Flag that some skeptics alleged was photo-shopped into the image. Regardless of the dubious circumstances, the corporate media took the story and ran with it. Of course, “Neocon Nikki” Haley succumbed to the woke mob during the turmoil. We like to think forces in America would not stoop to such a level but history proves otherwise. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn astutely predicted it was only a matter of time before these tactics reached America’s shores.

In the history of these United States there is likely no “prominent family” that surpasses the Lees of Virginia. Both sides of Robert E. Lee’s family were filled with accomplished individuals. Although Lee opposed secession, he fully understood that he was duty-bound to follow his State once it left the Union. Lee stated: “With all my devotion for the Union, and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, and my home.” In his 1825 text, A View of the Constitution of the United States of America, William Rawle explained: “To deny the right (secession from the Union) would be inconsistent with the principle on which all our political systems were founded, which is, that the people have in all cases, a right to determine how they will be governed.” Rawle's text was briefly used at West Point.

Echoing the comments of both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, Lee understood the war was not fought over slavery. He did, however, understand the slave labor system was detrimental to the South, stating: “The best men of the South have long been anxious to do away with this institution and were quite willing to see it abolished.” He also said, “So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied with this…that I would cheerfully have lost all I have lost by the war and suffered all I have suffered, to have this object attained.”

Robert E. Lee was an unapologetic Christian who possessed great character, morality, and devotion to duty. Thus, as the antithesis of the vast majority of his modern critics, Lee has been selected as a prime target for unjust demonization.

Sources: Union At All Costs: From Confederation to Consolidation, by John M. Taylor; A View of the Constitution of the United States of America, by William Rawle [Note: Rawle was a Quaker and an abolitionist.]; and May I Quote You, General Lee, by Randall J. Bedwell.

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