The civil war hero statues were mainly built at a time when white southerners felt the need to reassert their privilege and status. This is the Jim Crow era, largely in the first half of the 20th century.

I think the statues are less about history and more about holding onto the "glorious" past.

That's why I don't understand the "erase history" argument. Statues don't change history. They commemorate something or someone. Why commemorate racists and traitors?

I any conflict there are Heros on both sides, to judge the worthyness of the title Hero is not our right. The views and values of our world and the views and values of the past world are not the same. You are against the idea of a Southern Hero why? is it because you believe that the Civil War was based upon Freedom? If that was true then why did the North wait two years after Davis surrenderd to free Northern Slaves? The Civil War like all war had nothing to do with Human Rights or Human dignity It was based on commerce. At the time the Southern slave owners had already realized that owning a person is expensive. Feeding, clothing, housing, and medical expenses no matter how poorly they are done still are expenses. To pay a person a low wage then let them pay for their own expenses is way more cost efficient. Now if you read some of the letters written by Lincoln to Davis at the begining of the civil war it's more apparhent that Lincoln's biggest concern was the Southern desire to sell their raw materials to Europeans that where willing to pay more for the Cotton, Tobacco and Corn that the South had. The Northern economy was more manufacturing based, without the raw materials provided by the South the North had nothing to manufacture. The war was about money not human rights all evidence supports this idea. Again if it was about human rights the Northern States would have freed their slaves before the war not two years after. So if the Southern Folks want to honor a man that stood for their right to profit as capitalists then big deal thats them. Personally I don't care either way just thought I would throw in another perspective, or angle to view this under. have a nice day and please don't flood me with hate mail for offering a different opinion, one that has historic merrit, and not personal belief.