Never discuss religion or politics. That is just one example of the many pieces of advice my parents gave me when I was young. It stuck with me for a long time. However, I chose to completely ignore that advice once I got to high school and am extremely open about my opinions. Some could even say that my openness to discuss touchy topics could even be considered a fault. I do not listen to those people and I never will.

Instead, I take to social media and broadcast what I believe to the world. Most of my opinions are that of a conservative, but more along the lines of a libertarian. I am pro-choice to a certain extent, support gay rights, and believe in limiting government intervention as much as possible. I do not support government intervention in almost any situation, including healthcare and the right to refuse service. I reject the idea of “safe spaces” and refuse to put feelings before statistics and facts. I consider myself a true conservative, one that believes in smaller government and individual rights and true liberty.

However, I am not necessarily here to talk about my political leanings. I did feel it was important to preface this article with my views, though. Removing Confederate monuments usually falls on the “liberal” side of the political spectrum, and I feel as a conservative that defends this “liberal” idea, I can help open people up for a more honest discussion.

I have heard the arguments for the flag, some claim that the flag represents nothing more than Southern heritage and then claim that it “depends upon context,” which is true only to an extent. The flag’s, along with other Confederate monuments, have a stagnant representation of an oppressive nation that limited the rights of people based on their skin color, and betrayed our nation to attempt to continue an absolute atrocity that is sadly part of human, and American, history.

The fight to remove confederate monuments from public grounds is not about rewriting or suppressing history. It is important to know where you come from and how your nation was formed, therefore this history must still be taught. Nevertheless, how could someone explain to their child why a nonexistent nation, that formed on the grounds of keeping their slaves, have their flag flying on government buildings.

Up until recently, New Orleans had four different statues of Confederate leaders still standing in their city, overlooking the citizens. The outrage from those on the side of these monuments has been real, but never noble. The Confederacy of the United States was an embarrassment to our nation. We are the United States of America. We have a flag and plenty of leaders that helped form our great nation while also fighting for the abolition of slavery, despite it not happening until 1865. There was the incident in South Carolina where a woman took down a Confederate off the Statehouse. There is clear opposition to flying a flag that represents a movement that was so vile and left an unrecoverable mark on so many families.

By taking down confederate monuments from taxpayer grounds, we are not erasing history, we are simply stopping the glorification of those that actually helped divide our nation. Those that, instead of being on the correct side of history, chose to fight for something that destroyed the lives of so many innocent people.

The arguments that I have been faced with when discussing this with my more conservative, southern peers has been that of history. Some are concerned that this is an attempt to rewrite and lie about the history of our nation. This is simply untrue in every aspect. Our nation has its dark history. The United States was a huge player in the Atlantic Slave Trade and waited years to finally abolish slavery. Despite this obscene history, it is still important to teach and for citizens to know our dark history.

Confederate flags and monuments belong in history books and museums, not on government buildings. The flag represents a betrayal of our nation and the values of equality, not that of southern pride and heritage. They represent disunity rather than respect for the nation that our Founding Fathers fought to form.