Un-Cancel Robert E. Lee: An Open Letter to the Trustees of Washington and Lee University

Robert E. Lee has been unfairly “canceled” by modern culture—even at the university that he saved in the aftermath of the Civil War—yet his example of honor, character, and reconciliation is needed now more than ever.

Robert E. Lee is perhaps the most misunderstood figure in American history. Although opposed to slavery and secession, he believed his duty was to defend his home state of Virginia from the invading Union Army. He was a reluctant warrior, tragically compelled to fight in a war he never wanted.

Outnumbered by a foe equipped with vastly superior resources, Lee emerged as one of the greatest military leaders in history. Through it all, his example of character and honor inspired the love of those who served under him. Yet his greatest legacy was arguably as an educator and peacemaker after the war, encouraging reconciliation between the North and South and devoting
his final years to reuniting our war-torn nation.

In recent years, however, Lee has been unfairly targeted by a woke cancel culture that seeks to erase and rewrite American history. Even Washington and Lee University—the school that he saved from oblivion—has turned its back on him.

Now more than ever, America needs heroes. Men of virtue, honor, and character—men like Lee—whose examples must endure to inspire and shape today’s youth. But as statues are toppled and history is rewritten by America-hating radicals, our heroes and the ideals they represent are rapidly fading.

Un-Cancel Robert E. Lee is the nearly forgotten story of a great American hero, as well as a call to restore him to his rightful seat of honor—beginning with his final resting place at Washington and Lee.