Letter: History should not, cannot be changed

Slavery was an atrocity; slave traders should have been prosecuted. Yes, a few of my ancestors had slaves, and they loved and provided for them.

The Civil War was "lost" by the South in several ways. Many of my ancestors lost their lives in the bloody battle, had permanent wounds that impacted their livelihood, or were imprisoned in inhumane conditions at Point Lookout, Md.

Even so, I have never blamed the Confederate flag for my ancestors' tragedies or for slavery. Sure, I get emotional when I think about their suffering, but it is in our past and we should not rekindle those ancient emotions for the sake of eliminating symbols of history. What if I started a movement to remove Abe Lincoln's face from our pennies and $5 bills?

Absurdity is growing exponentially. The South became what it was because of some people who made it so -- people who are no longer here to be held accountable.

Can we all just accept history as a collection of good and evil that we cannot and should not change? And agree to get along and quit harboring hostilities from 150 years ago?

Dianne Faucette

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Letter: History should not, cannot be changed."