The national healing process began with distict acts by Lincoln and Grant calculated to demonstrate respect for and extend fraternal charity toward Lee and his Generals and, by extension, to all Conferderate combatants. These were exceptional acts of gallantry and forgiveness that went a very long way in terms of redirecting the mind of the southern man toward the resumption of national unity. Had the north taken a vindictive approach, who knows what would have happened. A significant part of our dignity and integrity as a nation and as a people inheres in our mature refusal to dig up and re-animate disputes we deliberately buried long ago solely because certain troubled individuals are bent on inventing new ways of feeling about things.
Exactly. Revisiting this now when no one alive today had a dog in the fight is disrespectful to the legacy of those on both sides who did.
Exactly. Revisiting this now when no one alive today had a dog in the fight is disrespectful to the legacy of reconciliation of those on all sides, colors and faiths who did have a dog in the fight and in the end decided to do what was best for the reunified country.
We saw that to a certain extent with Germany after the Treaty of Versailles