Heros?

At times I don't know if young zeal is always misplaced.  I understand not wanting to honor people that were traitors and slave owners but there also has to be some logic applied.  For example protestors removed a statue of President Grant allegedly because he had owned a slave at one time in his life.

 

Its true, he married the daughter of a slave owner in Missouri who gave him a slave to help him work his farm.  The fact that they worked side by side and that Grant freed the slave after a year.  He also fought for this country in the Mexican war, was the General that eventually defeated the Confederacy in the civil war and as President tried to suppress the KKK.  Does the year of owning a slave who he worked with side by side for a year offset all the other things we should celebrate?  To some the answer is absolute.  To me he was one of the saviors of this country who deserves to be honored. 

 

On the other hand we have the Generals of the Confederacy who rebelled against this country and were also usually slave owners.  The monuments, streets and military bases named after them seems inappropriate.   The two are not comparable.

 

When it comes to our founding fathers I would like to see some common sense applied.  Thomas Jefferson and many of the others did own slaves but they also helped form this country.  We should honor his works while condemning the institution of slavery.

 

We can't change the past but we can make sure we celebrate the real heroes. Traitors need not apply.