The other day I got into a pretty intense argument with my friend. It went somewhat along the lines of my friend mentioning that "Maybe some of the people at the Charlottesville Rally (the August 12th events) were genuinely upset over the tearing down of Confederate Monuments because they believe that it is an erasure of history and thus were separated from the White Supremacists while simultaneously on their literal 'side'."

Which, although made me see red, is a valid point. Some people are incredibly upset over the fact that these monuments are being taken down or shrouded. They probably don't align themselves with the White Supremacists. They probably see this as a sanitization of history. They probably see these monuments as a sign of 'heritage'. But, you see, it is in those last two points where they're wrong.

Here's a quick history lesson: Before the war officially began, the South was just a culmination of states that had seceded from the North. Why? Well, perhaps the Cornerstone speech will give us a hint as to why this great big war happened.

The Cornerstone speech, which was given by the Vice President of the Confederacy Alexander Stephens, largely defended the enslavement of African Americans. "Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth" (Cornerstone Speech).

They were literally fighting for slavery. There is no other way to put it.

Alexander Stephens then defies

the Declaration of Independence by saying that the statement "All men are created equal" is erroneous. The Confederates were traitors, point blank. To be fair, the speech briefly touched on several other topics such as economics and presidential procedure. And, although it is true that a major factor in the cause of the Civil war was state's rights, the right in question was the right to own a human being.

Alright, now back to why those last two points are wrong. That 'heritage' that some people of the South are so proud of is the heritage of the Confederacy or, rather, the heritage of being traitors, being proponents for slavery, and ultimately being patrons of white supremacy.

I'm not saying that that is the only heritage of the South nor am I insinuating that all of those at the rally who were upset about the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue are white supremacists.

I'm simply stating that the true heritage behind Confederate monuments and Confederate flags is one that no one should be proud of. It is a heritage of hate. In fact, even Robert E. Lee did not want Confederate statues erected after the war. He stated: "I think it wiser not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the example of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, to commit to oblivion the feelings engendered" (PBS).

This brings me to my next point: taking down Confederate monuments is not a sanitization of history. Like Robert E. Lee said, we should endeavor to obliterate the marks of civil strife. An excellent example of this is Germany following the Holocaust. There are no statues, monuments, schools, places, people, or things named after Adolph Hitler. They have taken down the propaganda of the Nazis and have quietly placed them in places where people are given the opportunity to study them and thus the future can be educated.

Furthermore, many of these statues do not have to be destroyed, they can be placed in museums or can be read about in history books for the preservation of history. Then, we could learn from the past instead of glorifying it. Because that's exactly what erecting a monument does: it glorifies the subject. These Confederate soldiers are literally being placed on pedestals, glorifying them to a point where they are god-like; towering above all, imposing themselves on the onlooker with swords in their hands ready for the slaughter.

Why should a country that cares so much about equality, prosperity, and justice glorify the people that fought against

those ideals? And yes, I was making a connection between the Confederacy and Hitler. Around 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust while approximately 5 million or more Africans were murdered in the Atlantic Slave trade (including both North and South America). Which brings me again to the question, why are we glorifying those that fought for the enslavement, torture, degradation, and dehumanization of Africans?

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of the Confederate monuments were not erected immediately following the Civil war but were actually erected during the 1920's and 1960's. Do those dates ring a bell? That's because Jim Crow laws were enforced during the 1920's and the civil rights movement was happening during the 1960's.

These monuments were mass created as a form of oppression.

They were placed mainly in the South as a way to remind black people that they were not 'equal' to white people. It reminds black people that half of the nation that they live in fought for their enslavement. The monuments stand as though they were masters on a plantation, looking down upon all with some engravings on them reading: "United States troops took over the state government and reinstated the usurpers. But the national election November 1876 recognized White Supremacy in the South and gave us our state."

In fact, the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville was bought and paid for by the KKK over 50 years after the Civil war and on the night it was erected, the KKK led a torchlight march from the statue to Vinegar Hill, a prosperous black community.

The message is clear: it was and still is covert racism through intimidation and the statues need to be taken down immediately.

Nothing will get rid of what happened nor will anything fix the past. We have to confront it head on and ask ourselves how we can make our country better and how we can help the abused heal. We have to take down these monuments, put them in a museum, and acknowledge the fact that America was founded on racism, inequality, and bloodshed. And to those people my friend originally spoke about: acknowledge the fact that your 'heritage' is one that endorses inequality between races. Put up monuments of people who have done good for America rather than rip her in half.

Stop glorifying racism. Stop using heritage and history as an excuse. It's time to change.