Katlaughing, Thank you for your views, I understand and respect your thoughts. While embracing much of the Southern ideals such as the right of a state to govern itself without major intervention of the Federal Government, I am opposed to and ashamed of the way some of our forefathers acted towards others in terms of enslavement. I won't get into all the issues, this is not the forum for this, but I will make one point. None of the ships that brought captives from other parts of the world to the southern docks was registered in the South. All were of Northern or foreign registry. Many upstanding Northerners made their fortune from the slave trade. There was also slavery in the North. Many people came to this country as indentured servants and worked for no pay for seven to ten years. In our reenacting we portray both sides. We are an artillery unit and are equipped for both a Union and Confederate impression. For the past two years we have done mostly Union impressions. I will not allow a person to join our unit that harbors any bigotry. I have friends in the black community. I do not imply that we should continue the Civil War, but I do believe that to avoid mistakes in the future we must learn from our past. The songs written by H.C. Work, Stephen Foster, Dan Emmet and others during the 19th century are part of our heritage and should be preserved as such. I would hope that future generations view what is being done in our times as we meant it to be and not as they would like to see it. Thanks again for your views......