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My family has a long and proud history of being Southerners which dates to 1712. They owned a large plantation south of Atlanta but did not have slaves. They had sharecroppers on the plantation, not slaves. According to the account books my sister was given, there were black and white sharecroppers, and both were treated very fairly. There are also diaries written by different members of my family. In these diaries, the main reason given for the war was states rights. The political machine of the North wanted to control the resources and riches, i.e., cotton, tobacco, etc., of the South. Slavery was the excuse given to invade the South. I do not believe in slavery nor did my family, yet we are condemned with the slave owners because, we are Southern.
Reconstruction of the South was a joke. Taxes were raised so high that many Southern land owners lost everything to the wealthy "carpetbaggers" who descended on the South like locust. Even landowners like my family were punished. All livestock and foodstuffs were taken by the Union army on their way to invaded Atlanta. Had it not been for the sharecroppers hiding essentials, all would have starved. Thankfully my family had hidden their valuables before the army arrived and could pay the taxes levied on them.
Do not talk down to those of us who are proud of our Southern heritage. We are very proud of our ancestors and should be allowed to fly the flag of the Confederacy, as we also fly the U.S. flag. The only time Southerners show their ire is when someone, like yourself, deems to feel superior in heritage. According to the aforementioned diaries, many of the YANKEE persuasion were thieves, murders and rapist. They pillaged the South, burning homes, murdering the occupants, raping the women, black and white, and stealing everything of value. Do not feel that you have the moral high ground in your heritage. YOU DO NOT.