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The large statue at the meeting of Second and Third streets is again under attack by a group of students at the University of Louisville.

The monument is dedicated to “Our Confederate Dead,” and wherever Civil War history may arise, there is bound to be controversy.

A number of students would like to see the statue removed because of all the negative connotations associated with the Confederate States of America, especially their legalized slavery. However, ignoring history is not the best course of action.

The Civil War has been, by far, the bloodiest of all American conflicts. More Americans died in the Civil War than in all other wars combined. Shouldn’t we remember these deceased?

Heading into the war, Kentucky was in the unique position of being a border state. While never seceding from the Union, citizens in Kentucky may have either fought for the Union or for the Confederacy. Additionally, Kentucky had a Confederate-sympathizing shadow government situated in Bowling Green. This is the history of our great commonwealth.

To view the Civil War as entirely slave-centric is a naive approach, it’s too easy. As with so many wars, there were many sides of the issue and everyone had a different reason to fight. Many Confederates weren’t fighting for their slaves, but rather for the America that they envisioned, an America in which states could secede from the larger whole. They fought for an idea, their idealistic America.

History is important, and forgetting about the past benefits no one. This statue can become a conversation piece, opening a dialogue about the past. Removing it really doesn’t help anyone. As George Santayana famously quipped, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

In fact, the university is working on a plan which would provide a more diverse view of the war. In 2002 a plan was approved which would build memorials to commemorate the role that Louisville played in the Civil War. U of L’s Vice President of Business Affairs, Larry Owsley, said that they wanted to incorporate the monument and other memorials to tell “a bigger story about the struggle for freedom.”

This plan, when fulfilled with private donations would surely satisfy everyone, and would allow for every side of the issue to be represented.

Meanwhile, it’s important to remember that the current statue is not a pro-slave statue, it is not depicting a slave auction; it’s in honor of many great Americans, who died 140 years ago. Isn’t it time we move on to some more relevant issues?