Jefferson Davis (and Robert E. Lee) stand out here because, as a nation we didn't actually heal. The rot got worse. The Lost Cause Myth is taught to this day i

Jefferson Davis (and Robert E. Lee) stand out here because, as a nation we didn't actually heal. The rot got worse. The Lost Cause Myth is taught to this day in schools across the U.S. The lie it tells, that the war was about states rights, not slavery. Except what isn't taught include the secession documents of those states expressly saying their secession was to preserve slavery; that the constitution of the Confederate States of America prohibits states from making slavery illegal, quite to the contrary of states' rights. Not taught in these schools is Alexander Stephens' Cornerstone Speech. Robert E. Lee's 15 minutes of fame continues for 158 years and counting. I think it's reasonable to conclude Jim Crow era laws, and lynchings in America were the direct result of not prosecuting people at the top, middle or bottom of the violence for slavery food chain. Many ordinary citizens partook in those crimes. They brought their children to watch. Governors encouraged citizens to attend. The extent of the trauma goes way beyond just one trial that didn't happen.