Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley discussed Civil War during a public event on Thursday — her first since the viral gaffe she made on Wednesday.

She told voters at a New Hampshire event on Thursday that although the American Civil War was fought over slavery it was also “about the freedoms of every individual.”

On Wednesday, the GOP presidential hopeful avoided mentioning slavery when asked by a voter in New Berlin, New Hampshire what caused the Civil War, leading to widespread criticism from her political opponents. She later claimed the question came from a Democratic plant.

Haley addressed her comments adding that the Civil War was also “about the role of government” and not just slavery. She claimed that as a governor of a southern state she “removed the Confederate flag off the statehouse grounds.”

Last night I was asked about the Civil War and what I think of the Civil War. What was the cause of the Civil War? Of course, the Civil War was about slavery. We know that that’s unquestioned. Always the case. We know the Civil War was about slavery. But it was also more than that. It was about the freedoms of every individual. It was about the role of government. For 80 years, America had the decision and the moral question of whether slavery was a good thing and whether government, economically, culturally, any other reasons had a role to play in that. By the grace of God, we did the right thing. And slavery is no more. But the lessons of what the bigger issue with the Civil War are is that let’s not forget what came out of that, which is the government’s role. Individual Lebanese freedom for every single person. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do and be anything you want to be without anyone or government getting in your way. That should be the goal of what we always try and take away from that. Right, Because we never want to return back to that place, but we always want to remember the lesson. Of what it means to be a free individual and that everyone deserves to be a free individual. So we stand by that. I say that as a southerner. I say that as a southern governor who removed the Confederate flag off the statehouse grounds. And I say that as a proud American of how far we have come.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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