Letter: Slavery issue died long ago

I read the recent letter concerning a rally at the Statehouse that haunts the writer’s thoughts and keeps her awake at night.

Obviously, she does not read history or care to believe that all Southerners are not racists, nor were all of them slave owners. Statements like “slavery is a burden South Carolina must bear” just inflames people that are ignorant enough to believe the statement. I grew up in the South and never owned slaves, nor did my ancestors, even though they were farmers. I would guess that the writer is not from the South but has moved here for the amenities, and the great people who live here.

Do we want to erase all history and start over? The Confederate flag stood for the states that withdrew from the Union for several reasons, which included states’ rights, economic despair, slavery and an overbearing federal government.

Statements such as “a jaded sense of morality” really make me sick. It is as if people would like to jump on the anti-slavery bandwagon to make themselves feel better. There are no slaves in the USA today, but people continually bring it up, even if it is not an issue.

With ISIS, murders among blacks, and the sorry condition of our federal government, I would hope that one or all of these items should be at the top of anyone’s list of things that haunt them and keeps them awake.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Letter: Slavery issue died long ago."