“In this nether world blacks and whites intermingled freely. The conventions of slavery were discarded and not only did men find fellowship without regard to color in the tippling shops, back rooms, and secluded sheds, but the women of both races joined it. The police blotters of the period are cluttered with evidence of this, but they bear witness only of the sinners who were caught.”

C. Vann Woodward

This quotation from The Strange Career of Jim Crow demonstrates the complexities of the 19th century South. Woodward was a historian who specialized in the history of the South. The passage shows how some blacks had lives and relationships that make it understandable for them to have been loyal to their masters or support the Confederacy.

Note that many historians today ignore all the evidence of life in the South that does not fit the mold of an evil, repressive society. Stated another way, it was not only those who were part of the aristocracy who had lives worth living. They ignore that free blacks lived in integrated cities in the South unlike in the North. In cities like New Orleans and Charleston there were regular celebrations, parties, and balls that both blacks and whites attended.

This is not to say that there was equality or that slavery was not evil. It is to say that the 19th century South is more complex than it is often presented. It was hierarchical and white supremacy dominated. This does not mean there was no genuine caring and concern that went both ways across the racial lines. Evidence and human nature indicate there was.

The argument that the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery does not represent the reality of the South is tenuous. Moses Ezekiel created the monument as he saw the South. He included slavery. You may argue it is a perspective with a bias, but it is incorrect to say it is false or a myth.