we became `` indivisible '' and `` with liberty and justice for all '' for the first time . During the 1960s , we Americans looked at the war as it occurred on the battlefields , because the conduct and course of the war dominated every single moment of every day . And the Confederate soldiers have historically captured our fascination even more than the Union soldiers . Perhaps it is the gallantry and dash of leaders like Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson or J.E.B. Stuart . Or perhaps it was the common enlisted men in the Confederate ranks , whose valor and courage -- in the face of tremendous privation and against overwhelming odds -- makes them stand out in world history as one of the best bodies of soldiers ever known . Another perspective on the Confederacy and history If the fascination with soldiers continues from the 1960s to today , what has changed ? Today , the study of Confederate history is much more `` inclusive '' -- to use the word of choice for many state 's 150th anniversary commissions -- as we look more deeply into the past . Today we ask different questions
Richmond , Virginia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` I 'm a big history buff , '' President Obama said in an interview with ABC News '' George Stephanopoulos . `` And I think that understanding the history of the Confederacy and understanding the history of the Civil War is something that every American and every young American should be part of . '' I am sometimes asked the same question that Mr. Stephanopoulos put to President Obama : Why study Confederate history ? And I agree with the president 's response . As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Civil War , we look back to its centennial in the 1960s . A lot has happened in this country since then , and our appreciation of the lessons of history has changed with the times . One constant has been the importance of the Civil War . It remains as the most important era of American history , a time when America withstood its biggest challenges to a constitutional democracy which then was still viewed as an experiment in a new form of government . The crucible of war defined the nation as we know it today , as