Under cover of darkness and with construction crews wearing masks, they drove Old Dixie down in New Orleans.

A statue of Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis was removed from its podium early Thursday morning, one of four Confederate memorials Democratic Mayor Mitch Landrieu has vowed to banish from the city in the name of "diversity, inclusion and tolerance" in the crime-ridden Louisiana city.

Though the removal of the statue was greeted with a cheer, The Lost Cause was not without its supporters, many of whom waved Confederate battle flags and called for the mayor to be imprisoned.

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David Barton, a historian and author of "The Jefferson Lies," said the crusade against Confederate monuments is simply an attempt by the left to erase history. He said even monuments that some might think are offensive can be used for a good purpose.

"Confederate Memorials would not need to be taken down if we still truly taught American history," he told WND. "I can stand below the statue of Jefferson Davis, and although there were many good things that he did do, particularly before he joined the Confederacy, I can make his statue a positive helpful lesson by telling what we can learn from his life, including the bad that he did.

"I could explain the devastation, humiliation and tyranny that results from him having a philosophy that sees people not as individuals but only as part of groups, and that tries to interpret the Constitution apart from the values of the Declaration of Independence. Of course, progressives, liberals and the courts are doing that now! I wonder where that will lead? History clearly tells us – if only we still knew that history."

Barton also believes the Democrats cheering the statues being taken down would be shocked if they knew the history of their own party.

"The city plans to pull down four statues, those of Jefferson Davis, PGT Beauregard, the Crescent City White League and Robert E. Lee," he noted. "I hope they tell the folks in New Orleans that all of these monuments honor Democrats, and that the Confederacy was led solely by Southern leaders of the Democrat Party. In a Democrat city like New Orleans, I can't understand why Democrat leaders want old venerated Democrat heroes taken down!"

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Scott Greer, author of "No Campus For White Men," says the answer is obvious. While he agrees with Barton the destruction of the statues is an attempt by the left to erase history, he argues what is happening has nothing to do with political parties but is something more primal.

"It's an attempt to wipe out any pride Southerners should have in their heritage," said Greer. "It's the same kind of process we see on college campuses, where anything white people did in the past tends to be demonized. The left is driven by a desire to interpret all of history through the eyes of 21st century progressive dogma. In their eyes, everything about the American past is bad and shameful and must be driven into the dirt."

Barton agrees the intolerant atmosphere on leftist dominated college campuses has spread to the larger society. He believes the left's militancy will eventually backfire.

"We have created a snowflake environment that demands safe spaces for things that challenge the politically correct bias of the month," he said.

"Soon we'll have to take down Susan B. Anthony statues because even though she fought for women's suffrage, she was openly pro-life; and, in today's women's movement, no one can be a true woman unless she supports Planned Parenthood and abortion. And of course Harriet Tubman statues will be taken down, for even though she was a leading conductor on the Underground Railroad bringing slaves to freedom, she was also a huge advocate for the right to keep and bear arms. For modern civil rights advocates, guns are anathema, and no true civil rights advocate can be for guns!

"We no longer look at heroes as people or as complex individuals; rather we now judge them solely by one issue, whatever that issue happens to be at the time. We are creating a culture where we believe we have a right not to be offended or even have our misconceptions challenged; and we're willing to use coercion to keep 'me' from being offended, even if that offends 'you.' What offends us now is so routinely redefined that probably no statue now will survive more than a generation before it becomes offensive to someone who will demand its removal."

Barton is no fan of the Confederacy or of certain American leaders such as Andrew Jackson, whom he faulted for being "pro-slavery" and "forcibly taking American lands." But Barton believes statues should remain to teach students about the American past. He also believes American Founding Fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson can be defended because their work ultimately led to the abolition of slavery.

"Washington and Jefferson both owned slaves, but their state laws made it difficult if not impossible for them to free all their slaves," said Barton. "Yet there were few Virginia voices more anti-slavery than those two. Both worked to advance abolition laws in their state and both signed federal anti-slavery laws. There is a reason that black civil rights leaders for generations praised both Washington and Jefferson."

Discover the truth behind the most mysterious Founding Father. Read the book which a fanatic media offensive pulled from publication – now available once again only from WND, "The Jefferson Lies" by David Barton. Don't miss it!

But Greer believes conservatives are underestimating the ferocity of what they are facing.

"Too many conservatives think they will be able to draw this distinction between figures such as Robert E. Lee, or Andrew Jackson or George Washington," he said. "But to the left, there is no distinction between any of these figures, any of these dead white men they so hate. Conservatives cannot support taking down Confederate monuments and think somehow the statues and monuments to the slave-owning Founding Fathers will still remain up. Nor will it stop there. The anti-Confederate push will eventually swell to consume all of American history. Look what's happening on college campuses."

Indeed, Malcolm Suber, an organizer of one of the groups agitating to take down the statues, the Take 'Em Down NOLA Coalition, is a professor of political science at a historically black college and was casually identified by the New York Times as "an avowed Marxist-Leninist."

Suber has previously been a part of activist efforts that successfully renamed a school that originally honored George Washington. He also told the Times he wanted to see the statue of Washington by the New Orleans Public Library be taken down.

Greer pointed out reports the statue dedicated to Joan of Arc had been recently defaced by unknown protesters, though it would be hard to blame Joan of Arc for slavery. He also noted Lee Circle, now being targeted for removal, had been vandalized soon after President Donald Trump's election by spray-painted slogans including "die whites die" and "black power."

Furthermore, said Greer, monuments and statues to Thomas Jefferson are also habitually attacked, even at his own alma mater. After Confederate monuments are removed nationwide, suggested Greer, it seems likely Jefferson is next.

"It's not about politics or 'limited government' or Republicans versus Democrats," said Greer. "Just listen to the words of those agitating for this. They always want more and they aren't going to stop with the Confederate flag. They aren’t going to stop with George Washington or Thomas Jefferson either. They want to take away our entire history. And unless conservatives stop apologizing and actually start pushing back, they're probably going to win. The whole country will look like one far-left college campus."

Political correctness is just the beginning. The situation on college campuses is worse than you could ever imagine – and America's future is at stake. Don't miss the political blockbuster of 2017 – "No Campus For White Men" by Scott Greer.