Introduction 1. What is the author’s background? How does this affect the way he wrote this book?
The author was born and raised in the South by his parents, who were strong proponents of the Confederacy. Ancestors on both sides of his family fought for the Confederacy. He even proudly carried the Confederate flag in his backpack and posted it on the wall in his college dorm room to signify pride in states’ rights. He also dreamed becoming a soldier in the Confederate Army. His grandmother was a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. This makes him a great source for the purpose of this book because he has real world experiences of the events and ideas that circulated around that time. The author also mentions how hard it was for him to write the book because he was surprised to fully understand how secession was related to racism and white supremacy. However, his Confederate-minded childhood could also be a source of bias insofar as his interpretations of secession and the controversies surrounding the Civil War, in addition to the documents he used to write this particular book.
Chapter 1 2. What are the controversies surrounding the mural of Robert E. Lee and Confederate History Month in Virginia (hint: they are related to the same issue!)?
There were a series of debates surrounding whether or not a mural of Robert E. Lee should be placed by Canal Way built along the James River. The NAACP spoke against the mural, saying that Lee was an advocate for slavery since he fought for the Confederacy. Pro-Lee advocates, including former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, voted in favor of the mural. The court finally decided to make the mural.

The other controversy was the one about Confederate History Month. Republican governor, James S. Gilmore, and his predecessor wanted to declare April as Confederate History Month. The NAACP spoke