Our national discussion about the history of the Confederacy is mired in myth and emotion, and the federal government can help. By including standard views of all federal datasets that compare former Union states to former Confederate states, we honor the historical choices that these states made on behalf of their citizens, and we can continue to monitor the legacy of those choices in a systematic and data-driven way.
The flag of the Confederacy coming down is symbolic, but more work must be done. We are one Union, and clearly the wounds are not yet healed, and our southern brothers and sisters are not yet home. We cannot secure the benefits of liberty for all without monitoring the progress of unification for all.