Is this what we all really believe about the Civil War?

No, I think that anyone who has studied history understands the variety of reason behind the Civil War. However, if you ask some random person on the street the reason for the war, they would most likely claim that it was slavery. I believe that this is due to the events that the war set in motion, such as the development of the KKK, the Civil Rights Movement, etc, where the South became this "epitome of evil" against African Americans. Most people also don't understand that the Emancipation Proclamation really did nothing. Lincoln had no authority over the South, so no one there was going to listen to him, and it only "freed" slaves in southern states, not northern. The reason behind it was to make the North seem like they were on the moral high ground, but there are no good guys in war. Just look at General Sherman, an incredible hero to the North, but despised and cursed in the South for the incredible destruction he caused. Robert E Lee: Lover of his homeland, champion of the South. To the North, he's just an old racist. The truth is that every side was racist but the hate has been transferred to the losing side as it is the victor that writes history.