Your last line in particular.
Slavery is our great burden but a price has already been paid in blood to over come that. It is time we were completely honest about all of those times. Your points are well taken and certainly upheld by the facts. Not all Southerners (or even Americans) were slave holders. More were not than were. Not all were cruel.
No living person EVER was a slave in the US (except to the government tax man).
The Civil War taught us that we’re all slaves.