Sounds like moral relativism to me, which is overly simplistic and inadequate. There were abolitionist then. They knew. The human capacity for rationalization and justification is really something.
Lets get this straight, I dont believe what they did is right. And them continuing to proclaim their innocence and ignorance isnt right, either.
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Why say this in a discussion of Robert E. Lee, then?
Just because he was on the losing side doesnt mean he was a bad person.
He's not a bad person for being on the losing side. The stated cause of the losing side was wrong and immoral